The Muggle Way
by imjustaguy
Summary: What if the Muggle World was not ignorant of what happens in the Wizarding World? MI5 and the Slayers have their own plans for dealing with Tom Riddle.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own either BTVS or Harry Potter. I am making no money off this story if I was I'd be driving a much nicer car. I'm also borrowing some characters and concepts from Katerine Kurtz and Deborah Harris's Adept series no knowledge of those books is required. I don't own those either.  
  
BTVS - Set post season seven spoilers through "Chosen". Minor spoilers for Angel season five.  
  
Harry Potter – Set post Goblet of Fire. Spoilers through book four. The story will run parallel with Order of the Phoenix and start going AU about halfway through.  
  
Prologue  
  
The Museum boasted one to the finest security systems around. Such is expected, given the value of its collection. A Monet that fetched over half a million at auction hung on one the walls. The collections of Celtic relics that line the atrium were insured with Lloyds for over five million pounds. It came as no surprise that someone attempted a robbery. No, the robbery wasn't a surprise, just everything about it.  
  
----  
  
A loud popping noise was heard in the museums main hallway and two people dressed in strangely old-fashioned robes wearing black masks appeared. A guard, responding the noise, charged around the corner. He stopped short, surprised by the sudden appearance of the intruders. He recovered quickly from his shock and shouted, "Halt!"  
  
One the people pointed a stick at him and spoke two words, "Avada Kedavra." A green beam of light shot out of the stick and struck the guard in the chest. He fell to the ground dead.  
  
The assailants quickly ran into main viewing room. One took up position at the entrance and waved his stick at the doors muttering in some indecipherable language. The doors slammed shut seemingly of their own volition. The other meticulously searched the display cases in the room.  
  
More guards rushed to investigate. They tried in vain to open the doors. Their keys no longer worked in the locks and no amount of effort could break the doors down.  
  
Another loud popping sound was heard coming from the room. Suddenly, whatever force held the doors closed dissipated. The guards flooded the room only to discover it empty and at first glance undisturbed.  
  
It took almost an hour for the museum curator pouring over inventory lists to figure out that the only item missing was a ceremonial dagger. It had no real value. The museum kept on display as an example of early 9th century craftsmanship. It sat next to a solid gold engraved plate given to a knight as a gift for his many years of loyal service.  
  
The robbery baffled the local police. Two men penetrated a highly secured building, through means unknown, killed a guard and escaped without a trace. Every element of the robbery spoke of a professional job. The kind commissioned by wealthy clients to bolster their collections. Someone spent a lot of money to pull it off. So why go through all the expense, commit a murder and only steal a relatively worthless dagger?  
  
----  
  
Darkness pervaded the chamber. Peter Pettigrew approached cautiously.  
  
"M-Master, we have recovered the artifact." He held up the silver colored dagger.  
  
A hissing noise emanated from the far side of the chamber. Slowly one of the shadows seemed to move and coalesce into a vaguely human form. It pulled itself along the ground with small studded arms.  
  
A voice, guttural, gnarled and weak sounding came from its mouth, "Place it on the ground so I may examine it Wormtail."  
  
Pettigrew carefully set the dagger on the ground and backed away. The figure slithered up to the dagger. One of its "arms" reached out and caressed the dagger.  
  
"Yes" the voice spoke. "I can feel the power. This is what I seek. Excellent, Wormtail, you have done well. What of the other preparations?"  
  
"Master, the final event of the Tri-Wizard tournament is three weeks away." Pettigrew answered. "Crouch reports that everything is in readiness. Potter is sure to reach the Goblet first."  
  
"Good, good. Soon my power will be restored and that annoying Potter child will be the instrument of my restoration. And then I will wring out his life with my own hands." A large snake appeared from the shadows and slithered up the strange form. "You may go now Wormtail."  
  
"T-Thank you m-Master." Pettigrew backed out the room, turned and fled, the sound of quiet laughter echoing behind him. 


	2. Chapter One Special Projects

Chapter One  
  
Lady Sophia Aydin leaned back into the comfortable seat of her Bentley and took a little time to admire the ease with which Montgomery maneuvered the limo through London's morning traffic. She felt a familiar tingle on the back of her neck and grimaced.  
  
Her old family talent was making an appearance, she thought. Over the years, Lady Aydin learned to trust that little tingle. Her families' talent for sensing magic and feeling its currents was the reason a one of its members had served as an advisor to the rulers of Britton for nearly two millennia.  
  
She last felt a tingle like this five and half years ago. About a month before the London headquarters for the Watchers Council exploded, followed a few months later by Sunnydale, home to the worlds oldest and most active Hellmouth, turning into a giant sinkhole and somehow dozens, if not hundreds, of Slayers suddenly appearing around the world. Her people had not been in any position to aid in whatever supernatural battle had been fought over those months. But in its aftermath the world changed.  
  
And now that same feeling returned. Somewhere in the world forces gathered, the magical currents, the balance on which the world rested, shifted. Lady Aydin knew what that tingle meant. The world was readying itself for another change. She just hoped this time her people would be able to help. She knew where to start. She mentally reviewed her responsibilities for the day trying to find the time she needed.  
  
The Bentley made a sharp turn into an underground parking garage. Lady Aydin felt the familiar presence of the buildings protective wards. Montgomery showed the duty guard his pass. The guard waved them forward and Montgomery drove the car to it's reserved parking space.  
  
As she stepped out of the Bentley and made her way to entrance Lady Aydin turned to Montgomery.  
  
"I should only be about hour Monty. Please cancel my appointment at the club this afternoon."  
  
Montgomery maintained his solid composure, "Consider it done My Lady. May I inquire as to your new plans for the afternoon?"  
  
"I believe I need to spend some meditating."  
  
After long years of experience, Montgomery knew what his charge meant. "As you wish," he stated, turned and headed back to car to make the necessary arrangements.  
  
Lady Aydin handed her pass card to the guard at the security desk and signed in. The guard swiped the card to verify her clearance and doubled checked the signature on the sign in sheet. After a quick retinal scan she entered building housing the Special Projects division of MI5.  
  
-----  
  
It was a typical looking conference room. A large table, capable of seating 15 people (although only six were present), dominated the room. Signs that the room had been retrofitted over the years to keep up with changing technologies abounded (the most obvious being the large plasma screen and assorted wiring for a teleconference/presentation system at the room's far end). The upgrades included devices to block electronic eavesdropping in addition to some odd, at least to average person, changes to prevent magical surveillance.  
  
Lady Aydin entered the room in full stride and quickly scanned the faces of those assembled, gauging the mood and making a quick decision on how to proceed. She took her seat at the head of the table and began the meeting.  
  
"Good morning everyone," there were nods and murmurs of "morning" from around the table. "I have a meeting scheduled at 10 Downing with the Prime Minister in two hours. I therefore ask that we skip the preliminaries today. I reviewed the weekly packet so I am up to speed on most esoteric activities, all I need this morning are the highlights or anything new that developed over the weekend." Lady Aydin nodded to the opposite side of the table, "Sir Ian, why don't you begin?"  
  
Director Ian Buford, head of MI5's Special Projects division, looked every bit the English gentleman, right down the once auburn, now white, mustache. He spent the past 40 years in the intelligence business. The first twenty- five matching wits with the KGB in counter-intelligence and the last fifteen trying to figure out the far more interesting and confusing world of the supernatural. The past eleven of those years had been spent reporting to Lady Aydin after she took over the post of "Special" advisor to the Prime Minister from her aging uncle.  
  
In those eleven years Sir Ian had learned to read his superior's mood quite well, despite the well-practiced calm demeanor she displayed. Lady Aydin always preferred a thorough briefing, even when pressed for time. Her abruptness at starting the meeting and her desire to end it quickly told the Director that his superior had other things on her mind. Knowing a little of her families talents he could guess the reason for her somewhat odd behavior.  
  
"My Lady," he nodded in her direction. "There was an incident this weekend. A museum in Wales was robbed late Saturday night and a guard murdered. It seems from initial reports that the perpetrators used magic. I'd say they were wand wielders. Ms Sinclair along with agent Grayden left yesterday morning to investigate. They should be reporting in", he glimpsed at his watch, " about an hour."  
  
"What makes you so certain this was a magical attack and that it was carried out by wizards?" Lady Aydin inquired.  
  
"First, the lack of any visible means for the criminals to enter or exit the museum," He replied. "The other guards on duty heard loud popping noises before the assailants appeared and disappeared. Sounds consistent with apparation. Second, the museums security cameras only failed in the rooms they entered. Again, consistent with the effects wand based magics have on unshielded electronics. Third, the guard killed had no visible wounds. The local coroner's initial finding was a heart attack brought on by stress. Agent Grayden will be examining the body to check for more esoteric causes. Fourth, the nature of the attack fits the pattern of increased harassment of normal citizens by members of the Wizarding community."  
  
"This incident dovetails with my concerns about the information coming from the Wizarding community," he continued. "In particular a rather steep rise in the number of crimes that look to be caused by wizarding magic. Very few of the occurrences appear in the reports the Ministry files with us on wizard activity in the Commonwealth."  
  
"The Ministry can't catch every instance of some wand wielder hexing people or every prank."  
  
"True enough Talerie," replied the Director. "But they are required under the Covenant to report all known instances where a wand wielder harmed a citizen. Over the past eight months we've documented five separate instances of British citizens being hospitalized due to deliberate magical attack. We know from our agents in the Ministry that Aurors were dispatched in three of those cases and that memory charms were placed on the victims. None the incidents were reported to us even though the Aurors on the scene logged them into the Ministry's official records. No arrests were made in any those instances. In fact, the investigations seemed to have stalled before they even started."  
  
"We only caught the other two," he continued, "because our field personnel arrived on scene before the Aurors. When they returned here to report, we detected the memory charms the Aurors placed and removed them. This is troublesome because according to our agents in the Ministry neither of these occurrences appeared on the Auror's official logs. That suggests that not only is the Ministry deliberately hiding this information from us but that elements within the Ministry are covering for whoever is committing these acts."  
  
"You've expressed these concerns before Sir Ian," Lady Aydin replied. "We are still left with the same dilemma. Do we confront the ministry with proof of the cover-ups, jeopardizing our agents in the Ministry and revealing our ability to counter their memory charms or do we do nothing and hope Fudge and his subordinates decide to take action."  
  
"With respect My Lady," Sir Ian replied. "There are other alternatives."  
  
Talerie reacted with gasp. "You're not suggesting that we go after these wizards."  
  
"If Ms Sinclair confirms this attack was carried out by wizards, as I'm certain she will, and the Ministry does not notify us of this incident, as they are required to, then they are in clear violation of the Covenant," Director Buford took a moment to look study the faces of those present. "Under the Covenant if the Ministry is found either unwilling or unable to exercise its duty to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth then we are allowed to take unilateral action to end the threat."  
  
"It's been years since we've taken such action," Talerie replied. "Not since Riddle disappeared."  
  
"It's Tom Riddle that I'm thinking of," the Director's tone grew more serious. "The current pattern follows very closely with the build up of attacks on, what wizards call the "muggle" world, that preceded Riddle openly declaring himself 'Lord Voldemort' and launching his terror campaign."  
  
"You believe he is preparing to return?" asked Lady Aydin.  
  
"I was under the impression Riddle was dead," Jerry Cromwell, liaison to the rest of British intelligence, spoke for the first time.  
  
"I believe Dr. Marshall can best address that issue," Director Buford nodded his towards the young man.  
  
Dr. Marshall, head of research, was in his early thirties and already considered a brilliant theoretical physicist, perhaps the next Hawking, when a few papers he had written on abstract realities had caught the attention of MI5. They managed to lure him away from offer to cross the pond and teach at Cal-Tech to serve Queen and country. It was decision he had never regretted. While most of what he studied most likely would not be published for years, if ever, he relished the opportunity to advance a field that most of the world didn't even acknowledge existed.  
  
He straightened in his chair and began speaking in his 'teaching' voice, "As you know Riddle directed an 'Avada Kedavra' curse at Harry Potter. While the Wizarding world may believe that such a curse can not be blocked, we know from our own studies that there are in fact three principle means to deflect such a curse." He paused for moment to collect his thoughts.  
  
"Given that he was only a year old at the time Mr. Potter could not have used one of the active methods to block the curse. That means either one or both parents sacrificed their lives to save his. Such an act would have caused the 'Death Curse' to deflect back on its castor, albeit at a greatly reduced level."  
  
"But it was still a 'Death Curse'" wasn't it?" Cromwell asked.  
  
"Yes, but from reviewing the files we learned that Riddle was obsessed with his own mortality, or more precisely, gaining immortality. Many of the artifacts he stole were believed to have healing properties, the ability to extended life, protective charms and other similar properties." Dr. Marshall answered. "It is fair to assume he used these items. The Orb of D'Karsh, for example, is reputed to protect its owner from very family of curses the Avada Kedavra is derived from. Riddle would have had ample protection from such a curse. He would have been weakened and, given his disappearance, most likely crippled but all the available evidence indicates a strong possibility he survived,"Marshall concluded.  
  
"There is the added factor that the current pattern of harassment began only a few weeks after the 'Dark Mark' appeared in the sky at the Quiditch World Cup." Director Buford picked up. "If it isn't Riddle, then it is probably one of his servants making a power play. Sirius Black escaped two years ago and has not been seen since. It is possible he is behind these events in an effort to become the new 'Dark Lord'."  
  
Director Buford was cut off when the room's intercom buzzed. "Sir, Ms Sinclair just called in," the secretary reported. "I informed her you were in the weekly briefing, but she says its imperative she speak with you immediately."  
  
"Put her through."  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
A burst of static came over of the speaker, "Director Buford?"  
  
"Yes Ms Sinclair, I'm in the conference room briefing Lady Aydin," he replied. "We were just discussing the robbery and its implications. What do you have to report?"  
  
"It will easier if I show you. We managed to recover several images from the museums videotape. Oh, if Dr. Marshall is there, your theory was correct, but it's going take more work to make it effective in the field." The sound of typing could be heard over the speaker. "I've uploaded the images to the server, you can access them from my public folder."  
  
Dr. Marshall took the liberty to switch on the presentation system and pull up the necessary files. Soon three somewhat blurry images could be seen in on the room's plasma screen. Despite the poor quality all three images showed two men wearing dark robes and masks, the uniforms were very familiar given the previous conversation. In two of the pictures the men could clearly be seen wielding wands.  
  
Director Buford spoke first, "Death Eaters."  
  
"Yes sir," came agent Sinclair's reply over the speaker. "Agent Grayden examined the body this morning and confirmed the guard was killed with an Avada Kedavra curse."  
  
"Have you seen any evidence of Aurors or other Ministry officials at the scene," asked Lady Aydin.  
  
"No Ma'am. Thus far no Ministry officials have appeared."  
  
"What exactly was taken?"  
  
"According to curator the only item stolen was a worthless 9th century ceremonial dagger. He has no idea why anyone would want to steal it. I haven't been able to learn anything more about the dagger beyond the fact that it was bequeathed to the museum 15 years ago following the death of its owner," answered Sinclair. "I can tell you that we are not the only ones interested in finding out what was stolen."  
  
Director Buford spoke first, "What do you mean?"  
  
"The curator received a call from an appraiser the museum occasionally contracts with while I interviewed him. From the half of the conversation I heard he seemed very interested in finding out everything about the dagger," she responded.  
  
"The Watchers Council employs a number of appraisers for intelligence gathering," Cromwell pointed out.  
  
"My thinking precisely," came Ms Sinclair.  
  
"Anything else to report Ms. Sinclair?"  
  
"No Director Buford. Agent Grayden and I will be returning tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you. Report to my office for a complete debriefing as soon as you arrive. Have a good flight," with that Director Buford clicked off the phone. He looked across the table in time to see his superior's face harden.  
  
Lady Aydin took a moment to collect her thoughts. The little tingle on back of her neck returned. She remembered what happened the last time the Death Eaters walked openly. The paralysis of the Ministry and the unsolved murders of innocents. Her Uncle came within days of declaring the Covenant void. He taken steps to see that such drastic measures would not be needed. Sir Ian was correct they had far more options this time around. The tingle grew stronger and Lady Aydin made her decision.  
  
"Whether it is Tom Riddle or one of his followers, I will not permit a repeat of thirteen years ago," Lady Aydin's voice echoed with authority. "The last time Tom Riddle assaulted the Wizarding world we were forced to sit back and watch. This time we have the power to stop this before we are left with declaring the Covenant void as our only option. Director Buford, I want you to start surveillance on suspected Death Eaters. I know it will difficult to penetrate the enclaves but take whatever means you deem necessary."  
  
"Yes My Lady."  
  
"Major Chisholm, I believe it is time to start retraining your men in how to combat wand wielders. Hopefully your people won't be needed, but I want to be prepared."  
  
"Yes Ma'am."  
  
"Agent Cromwell, since it seems the Council already shows interest in this incident, I want you make a formal request with their research branch for any information they have on the dagger that was stolen."  
  
"I can do that, but are you sure that's wise Ma'am," responded Agent Cromwell.  
  
"We've done a good job building trust with the new Council over last few years. I don't want our people to working at cross-purposes," she replied. "Besides, the Watchers posses the finest database on occult artifacts in the country. I'm scheduled to meet with Watcher O'Leary on Friday. I'm certain he can have answers by then."  
  
"The Covenant prevents us from telling them about the Wizarding world," Cromwell pointed out.  
  
"For the time being. But the main reason the Council did not get involved last time was because the two Slayers who were activated over those years were busy outside the country. By our present count 15 Slayers live in England right now. How long do you think they'll stay on the sidelines if Wizards start killing people again."  
  
"I understand Ma'am."  
  
"Very well. For moment we step up our surveillance but I want a plan of action to take apart the Death Eater organization. Director Buford, keep me appraised of any further developments." With that Lady Aydin took one last look around room. "I have to brief the Prime Minister and the Queen. Meeting adjourned." 


	3. Chapter Two What's in a Dagger?

Chapter Two – What's in a Dagger?  
  
"Ms Rosenberg, could I have a minute of your time?" Willow turned around and saw Robert O'Leary rushing down the hallway.  
  
"For the umpteenth time Robert, its Willow," she responded. "I'm heading to the library, you're welcome to tag along." She allowed Robert to catch up and resumed her course to library.  
  
"Thanks Ms, um Willow. I just received a call from Jerry Cromwell about the museum robbery in Wales over the weekend."  
  
"What robbery in Wales? No wait, Dawn mentioned something this morning about a robbery. Wasn't paying attention. No sleep. Busy researching Quaterro demons all weekend. Some clan seems determined to open the Indonesian Hellmouth. Got a call from Faith about an hour ago, she says things are under control now. So what's up in Wales and Jerry who?"  
  
Robert blinked trying to process everything. He knew how much the world owed this young woman and the other "Scoobies", but times like this he almost missed the stuffy formality of the old Council. "Jerry Cromwell with MI5. They're looking into a museum robbery that occurred Saturday. A guard was killed and a dagger stolen. They want to know any information we can learn about the dagger or why someone would steal it."  
  
Willow frowned. The Initiative left a bad taste in the Scooby's mouths when it came to working with top-secret government agencies. But she was forced to admit, Lady Aydin and MI5 did a good job. They knew enough to stay out the way and occasionally even helped. All they asked was to be kept in the loop on happenings in the world of the weird.  
  
"OK, I think that's the robbery Dawn mentioned. I'll tell her to forward anything she finds to you and you can pass it on to MI5. The usual stipulations apply Robert."  
  
"Lady Aydin understands, if it's demons, the Slayers handle it," with that Robert headed back to his office. Willow waved goodbye as she entered the Council's main library.  
  
---  
  
Dawn Summers, sister to world's oldest living Slayer, occasional Key to the Universe and recently promoted Head of Research for the Watchers Council looked up from the mass of books in front of her to see Willow waving to someone as she entered the library.  
  
"Hey Willow, the world's still here, so I assume the spell worked."  
  
"Yea, Faith called in to report. Demons slayed. Said she's taking the local team out for a post slay party."  
  
"Hope they have fun," Dawn waited for Willow to take the seat opposite her. "So, who were you talking to?"  
  
"Robert. It looks like MI5 is checking into that robbery you mentioned this morning. So what's up?"  
  
"I saw it in the papers yesterday afternoon. Two guys broke into a museum, but didn't open any doors to get in, killed a guard, nobody knows how and stole a dagger. Looked odd to me so I had one of our appraisers who's worked with the museum in the past give them a call to find out more."  
  
Willow nodded, silently applauding Dawn's initiative. Even Buffy admitted Dawn had come into her own over the last five years. After earning her high school diploma during the year she and Buffy spent in Rome, Dawn went to Oxford. She graduated in two years (a virtually unheard of feat) with twin degrees in Mythology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Archeology. She took over the Research department three month after graduating. The protests about her age lasted only until Dawn translated some ancient text before the rest of the department had even figured out what language it was written in.  
  
"So what have you learned?"  
  
"Well, the dagger was originally part of a collection owned by a Ruford Holmes," Dawn answered. "He was murdered fifteen years ago and several items stolen from his collection. The most notable, the Orb of D'Karsh. I got a picture of the dagger off the Museums website and, wouldn't ya' know, right on the handle was the symbol of D'Karsh. The dagger was already on loan the museum when Holmes was murdered so it became part of the museums permanent collection. Looks like someone may be trying to complete the set."  
  
"Fifteen years. That's an awfully long time to wait to complete a set Dawnie."  
  
"Wait, it gets better. I've been spending the last couple of hours looking for anything we have on D'Karsh. He was a very powerful wizard who lived in the late eighth, early ninth century. He created a number of powerful objects designed to protect their bearers from very specific types of magical attacks. The Orb of D'Karsh, let me see," Dawn pulled a book off one of the piles and began flipping through its pages. "Here it is. The translation is a little off, but here it goes; 'the Orb protects from the curses of Vada Koreesh. If one is afflicted by such curses then through the power of the Dagger and the Ritual of D'Karsh they will be restored.'"  
  
"So you're thinking whoever currently has the Orb got hit by one of these Vada Koreesh curses and needs the dagger to heal?" Willow asked. Dawn nodded. "What's involved in the Ritual of D'Karsh?"  
  
"I just found it when you walked in," Dawn shuffled through the books on the table until she found the one she was looking for. After a brief moment reading Dawn sat back with a look of disgust on her face. "Eewww. You know after all those years on a Hellmouth you'd think I'd be use to the gross stuff by now."  
  
"What does it say Dawn?"  
  
"It's your basic ugly ritual. The key passage goes like this. 'By the bone of the ancestor, unknowingly given, you shall be renewed. By the flesh of the servant, willingly given, you shall be revived. By the blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you shall be resurrected.' Like I said your basic ugly ritual. You need the dagger for last two parts. It links the ritual back to protective magic of the Orb."  
  
"Anything demony involved?"  
  
"Haven't seen anything so far. Seems to fall into the category of human mages. Not much on D'Karsh in our database beyond what I already told you. He had a student, a Rowena Ravenclaw, who along three others, founded the first enclave and sealed the Covenant. That's all we have on her. We don't even have the name of the other three people."  
  
"OK, that's new," Willow began think. "What's an enclave and Covenant with who?"  
  
"Don't know," Dawn answered. "I get the feeling there was more information about D'Karsh and these other four mages in the old Councils restricted archives. Unfortunately, those records went boom with the old headquarters."  
  
Not for the first time Willow felt the loss of that day. The old Council believed itself above the war and protected from attack. They took no precautions to safeguard their many priceless artifacts and irreplaceable records. Their loss caused a lot of headaches for the new Council. Knowledge, often gained at the price of blood, had to be relearned, too often at the price of even more blood. She hoped the new policies she and Dawn were putting into place could prevent such a tragedy from crippling the new Council in the future.  
  
"OK write up everything you've learned and send it Robert. I think he's scheduled to meet with Lady Aydin on Friday."  
  
"Gotcha. Speaking of Friday, you packed?" Dawn said changing the subject.  
  
"Not yet. Hard to believe it's been five years. I'm looking forward to the anniversary party next week. I haven't spoken to Buffy or Xander in the flesh in three months. I've spent so much time talking to them on video I'm starting to think they're two dimensional," Willow smiled.  
  
"It's been a while for me to. Buffy and I haven't had a chance to power shop since I graduated."  
  
Willow laughed. The Summers sisters got along a lot better with an ocean between them. "Do you think Harrods will ever recover from that day?"  
  
"I doubt it. Almost a year later and I still get funny looks from the sales people when I walk through door."  
  
The library filled with the laughter of two young women. 


	4. Chapter Three Questions and the Occasio...

Chapter 3 – Questions and the Occasional Answers  
  
The week proved more frustrating than expected for Lady Aydin. The tingle on the back of her neck decided to settle in for a permanent visit. She meditated as often as her schedule allowed in an effort to sort through the currents but no pattern emerged.  
  
The linchpin remained the Wizarding world. Whenever she meditated she saw currents flowing in and around the enclaves. Something was definitely happening. In a way the enclaves almost seemed to be drifting away from the rest of world. Her senses told her the depths of these currents flowed back for centuries, that whoever was behind the current activity, be it Tom Riddle or one of his followers was merely a symptom of something larger. She needed more information.  
  
Times like these she missed her Uncle Micah. While she shared the family talent for sensing the magical currents of the world, she lacked her Uncle's gift for riding those currents and immersing himself in their flow. For seeing how they interconnected and branched off from each other. He retired from his position as advisor to Prime Minister because of cancer. It had been painful to watch the once powerful man who taught her so much fade away. He survived for nearly six years; far longer then the doctor's thought possible. He finally lost the battle a month after Sunnydale collapsed.  
  
But while his body failed, his mind never did. Lady Aydin still remembered his final words to her.  
  
"The worlds on the right path now, my little munchkin. All the currents flow together in the end. Those who hide from that truth, who cut them selves off from world, will learn. The currents, the magic, will not be denied. Trust you instincts, munchkin. It will be up to you to teach them."  
  
---  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz from her intercom. "Lady Aydin, your eleven o'clock is here."  
  
"Show him in Teresa." She got up from her desk and walked to the door. Her secretary ushered the Watchers Councils official representative to the British government into the office.  
  
"Lady Aydin, always a pleasure," Robert O'Leary said reaching out to shake her hand.  
  
"Robert it's been more than four years. You can call me Sophia," she took the offered hand and then motioned for him sit on one the chairs. She returned to her seat at the desk and favored him with a smile. "How are Michelle and Rob doing?"  
  
"Quite well. Michelle transferred back to the Trauma Unit, says she prefers the excitement. Rob is rapidly becoming a terror on the football field."  
  
"Ah, the next Beckham in the making."  
  
"That's his current goal. And how are things with your family?" He inquired.  
  
"The Foreign Office sent Basil off on assignment to Rome yesterday. He's meeting with some Vatican officials over next few days. It seems the new Pope is thinking of making a state visit to England in next few months. Basil Jr. just finished his second year at university. He's actually threatening to pick a major."  
  
"The boy is full of surprises. And Becca?"  
  
"Even worse, she wants to attend university in the States after she graduates next year."  
  
"You have my deepest sympathies Sophia," Robert grinned.  
  
"And you have my thanks Robert," Sophia turned the conversation to business. "How are things in, what's Ms Rosenberg's phrase again, the world of the weird?"  
  
"Fairly normal actually. We've noticed an increase in activity at the Indonesian Hellmouth over the last couple of months. According to the elder Ms Summers, it's still nowhere near the level of Sunnydale during those last few years but it is troublesome. It is difficult to operate effectively in that area."  
  
"Is there anything we can do to help? A friendly call from a allied nation asking the local government to keep out of your way."  
  
"That will not be required. The problems are more logistical in nature. As you know the Hellmouth is located on a rather underdeveloped island in the chain that is only sparsely populated," Robert explained. "The other three active Hellmouths are all located in or near urban areas and access to them is rather straightforward. Faith is also rather annoyed by the lack of quote 'a decent club anywhere near the place'."  
  
"Yes, I can see how that would be troublesome to an active young woman."  
  
"The only other item of interest is your man Cromwell's request for information on the theft of the Dagger of D'karsh last weekend," as he spoke Robert opened his satchel and pulled out a report.  
  
"So the Dagger does have some value? Our people are still trying to trace its original ownership. It seems your research department did its usual thorough job." Sophia took the report from Robert's hand and began to scan the pages.  
  
"It seems Mr. Holmes went to great lengths to shield ownership of his collection behind various holding companies and aliases. And actually you can thank the younger Ms Summers for the thoroughness of the information. The robbery had already caught her attention when agent Cromwell phoned me with his request. By the way, she was wondering if you knew anything about Mr. Holmes' murder fifteen years ago and the theft of the Orb of D'Karsh."  
  
Sophia stopped scanning the report and began to think through her response. The Covenant specifically forbade her from revealing the existence of the Wizarding world to outside parties. She needed to be careful in how she answered.  
  
Robert noticed the pause. "I take it you do know something? Ms Summers was able to learn the dagger is a key component in reviving a mage afflicted by one the curses of Vada Koreesh."  
  
"There is not much I can tell you Robert, I only had limited involvement with MI5 in those days."  
  
Robert sensed the tension. He knew it was not a good idea to push Lady Aydin, but Dawn's curiosity had been piqued and she would be very annoyed when she returned from Cleveland if he didn't get some information. Lady Aydin was formidable but since he was forced to choose, he preferred having Lady Aydin annoyed with him then Dawn Summers. An annoyed Dawn Summers, led to an annoyed Buffy Summers, which led to an annoyed Willow Rosenberg, followed by an annoyed Xander Harris and then a very annoyed Rupert Giles. Lady Aydin led to an annoyed British government. Scooby gang vs. powerful national government. It really wasn't a choice.  
  
"We know the guard was killed with magic. Ms Summers dispatched a team to investigate on Wednesday after your people left. The warlock in the group sensed the spell." He left out the warlock not recognizing the nature of the spell.  
  
"As I said your people are always thorough." Lady Aydin was trying to think of ways to divert Robert's attention from this line of questioning. She had assumed the call to museum curator had only been curiosity on the part of one the Council's researchers. Her request that Council find information on the dagger was logical and should have forestalled any further investigation. After all it meant MI5 was already handling the matter.  
  
She did not expect the robbery to have caught the attention of the younger Summers sister. She only met Dawn Summers a couple of times but she knew once Ms Summers wanted to find something out, nothing short of an apocalypse could stop her. And given the company she kept, an apocalypse would prove only a brief distraction.  
  
Best to stick with the limited truth she could tell and hope.  
  
"We suspected the robbery was tied to some incidents from fifteen years ago. That was why we dispatched our own team to investigate. We don't have direct evidence to link the events, just suspicion," she studied him carefully. "The information you provided should go a long way to helping us find that link."  
  
It was Robert's turn to study Lady Aydin. They were playing a very delicate game. He made a decision to play one of his Trump cards. After all Lady Aydin had no way to know just how much the team had learned and what other paths the investigation was leading them down.  
  
"Ms Summers theorized that fifteen years ago a mage stole the Orb of D'Karsh to use as a protective charm. Unfortunately this person did not realize the importance of the dagger and ended up crippled from the effects of one of these curses of Vada Koreesh." The lack of any visible reaction from Lady Aydin told Robert that Ms Summers guesses were most likely accurate. "It took him this long to recover the dagger so he can heal. It seems a very powerful mage, one who's already shown a willingness to kill, is preparing to make a return."  
  
Lady Aydin admired how well Robert had played the game thus far. She should have anticipated how much the Council could pull together, even with only a week to work on the problem. She was forced to use her only real Trump card.  
  
"Robert, I can assure you, this affair is strictly between humans. No vampires or demons are involved. The Council generally stays out of such matters."  
  
It was a weak play and she knew it. Over the centuries the supernatural and mystical Champions of the world carved out their various territories. The Slayers dealt with vampires and demons. Threats from humans were handled by one of the many other groups (Adepts, Hunting Lodges, supernatural detectives, witches covens, the list was endless) dedicated to suppressing the forces of darkness. Of course, those old boundaries assumed only one Slayer available at any given time. With hundreds of Slayers to call upon the new Council decided to slowly expand its portfolio.  
  
Robert suppressed a smile. He succeeded in forcing her hand. But he still needed to proceed with care. All he accomplished so far was confirm what Summers and Rosenberg already suspected. "I take it that this matter involves one the other esoteric groups you monitor?"  
  
Definitely well played, she thought. Again, truth, albeit limited truth, was only option left to her.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is there anything you can tell me about this group?"  
  
"I sorry Robert. But our agreement with them forbids me from revealing any more then you already know."  
  
"Is the group capable of controlling this killer?"  
  
Lady Aydin took a breath. The key question. The Council looked to expand its portfolio, but only selectively. It respected the old boundaries. If the existing controls worked then the Council simply said "hi," handed over a card and said "give us a call if you need a hand."  
  
But if those controls failed, the Council stepped in with all its available resources. And very few things in this world could stand against a squad of Slayers.  
  
A part of her wanted to shout "No!" and turn the Slayers loose on the Wizarding world. But that would mean breaking the Covenant, revealing all the enclaves. The implications of that went far beyond just the Council or the Wizarding world. Too many variables down that path, the currents became unreadable. She was forced to go with a half-truth and hope it that satisfied Dawn Summers' curiosity.  
  
"They managed to stop it thirteen years ago," it took an orphaned child to accomplish, but Riddle was stopped. "We believe they have the power to stop it again," of course they don't actually use that power. "We're monitoring the situation to make certain it doesn't get out of control." Major Chisholm is training his SAS team in how to assassinate wizards.  
  
Robert sat back in his chair. He had the victory this round. But he could see the hardness setting in Lady Aydin's eyes. Pushing anymore would accomplish nothing. Best to end the game now. What he learned here should give Dawn a good starting point.  
  
"Very well. If the situation is contained then the matter is closed. I thank you for your time Lady Aydin," Robert began to get out of his chair.  
  
"One last thing Robert," Lady Aydin motioned for him to sit down again. "I assume the senior members of the Council are traveling to Cleveland again this year?"  
  
"Yes, their flight left this morning."  
  
"Tell Rupert and the others I will be making a toast in their honor and saying a prayer for their protection to mark the anniversary."  
  
"I will pass that along Sophia. Dr. Giles also wanted me to thank you again for your help over the last five years. Particularly in freeing up the old Council's funds."  
  
"It was a pleasure. The reaction of certain stubborn lawyers to a personal phone call from the Queen calling them on the carpet was priceless," Sophia smiled.  
  
"A moment I shall long remember," Robert grinned in response. "Thank you again for your time Sophia."  
  
"A pleasure Robert. Peace be with you." 


	5. Chapter Four Heir to the Throne

Chapter Four – Heir to the Throne  
  
The Council's Cleveland headquarters was in a high school. To be fair, the campus hadn't been used as a high school for several years. It had originally been built as a magnate school designed for about 500 students. Budget cuts forced the city to close it down. Two budget crises later the city decided to sell the property.  
  
Xander, of all people, immediately started lobbying to purchase the campus. The "temporary" headquarters the Council established in a warehouse was far too small and poorly laid out for the Slayers' needs. The campus boasted a good-sized gym, an indoor swimming pool and a quarter mile track. That sold Robin Wood, who ran the Watchers Council's training program.  
  
Xander argued that with some renovation work the Classrooms could be converted into dorms and/or apartments for the Slayers, Watchers and whoever else needed to stay in Cleveland. There was plenty of office space and the science labs could be converted into, well, science labs. The campus included a spacious library. The basement for the main building was large and solid. A little work and, viola, instant secure storage facilities for mystical artifacts. It had complete access to all city utilities and it's own T1 line. That sold Willow, Dawn and Giles.  
  
He then pointed out that the campus while roomy was small enough to create a defensible perimeter. The parking lot out front and the playing field in the back provided clear firing lines from all three buildings. The utility building, separate from the rest of the buildings, provided secure access the sewer system. Most importantly, the campus was close to the freeway onramp leading to downtown shopping and the local nightlife. That sold Buffy and Faith.  
  
The only issue remaining was limiting the number of jokes Xander was allowed to make about everyone's life revolving around high school. The agreement came after a very long and brutal evening of negotiations. Xander agreed to only five jokes per day for the first three months after they moved in. He managed to get unlimited joking privileges for the first two weeks, pointing out that he needed at least that long to get it out of his system. After three months he was limited to only three jokes per day. If, however, one of the jokes was actually funny, he could go as high as seven.  
  
---  
  
Eric wandered around the gym aimlessly, joining in on the occasional conversation and just enjoying his morning. Most people found it odd that the Council held most of its social events during the day. In this case the reasons were logical. First, the time of day matched with the time of the final battle and the awakening of the Slayers. Appropriate for marking the anniversary of that day. Second, the majority of Slayers, for obvious reasons, worked nights. The only time available to party was in the day. And third, the Scoobies learned from experience that any event held at night inevitably got crashed by vampires or demons. They wanted to see what it was like to get through a party without a fight.  
  
Eric decided to refresh his drink and changed direction to the buffet table. He heard snippets of conversation as about Faith. The spell worked. You saw the demons."  
  
"Astronauts saw the demons Red. They glowed, bright neon orange glowing ...."  
  
"... keep trying to figure out what tweaks everybody about St. Louis ..."  
  
"... head just goes flying off and landed in the guys soup. The tentacles were still ..."  
  
"... Germans improving, but half the demons around the Hellmouth speak Austrian ..."  
  
Eric was enjoying the vibe when a familiar voice cut through the noise.  
  
"Ah, Eric good to see you. We were afraid you and Faye were not going to make it." Eric turned to see Rupert Giles approaching him.  
  
"Hey Giles. We managed to clean out that nest in Alberta faster than I thought we could. Got in late yesterday," he replied. "Left Janie's team in charge of the mop up."  
  
"So are you and Faye still enjoying freelancing?" The Council based several teams of Slayers at each of the four Hellmouths and, as they completed training, positioned additional teams at other supernatural hotspots. Most teams comprised multiple Slayers, two to five Watchers and, if necessary, magical support. Faye and Eric operated as one of freelance teams that went where needed. Plugging holes on other teams when a Slayer was down or investigating various supernatural phenomenon.  
  
"Yea. It's been good for Faye to move around and keep busy. She took Rona's death real hard. They'd been close since Sunnydale."  
  
"Yes, we all took it hard." Rona had been swarmed by a pack of vampires while training some of the younger Slayers seven months earlier. She managed to get all the girls clear and hold off the pack long enough for the relief team, led by Faye, to arrive. That was a bad night to be a vampire in Cleveland.  
  
"The reason I ask Eric," Giles paused," we could use you back at the London office. You're a link to the old Council and your presence would help mollify some of old guard Watchers that prowl around the office."  
  
"You know, there are times when I wonder just what my Grandfather would make of what you and the other 'Scoobies' have done to the Council."  
  
"I honestly don't know what Quentin would have thought. I rather suspect he would hate it."  
  
"I'm not so certain. Grandfather didn't like Buffy's lack of respect for tradition or her blowing off the Council. But he always had a grudging admiration for her spirit and even he acknowledged that she and her friends got the job done. I like to think he would accept what's happened. An army of the light. You guys changed the world Giles. Of course he'd go nuts over the lunatics running the asylum."  
  
"They may be, no," Giles corrected," they are lunatics, but they have done well. Don't sell yourself short Eric. This would not have been possible without your help. You defied your Grandfather's edict and warned me about the murders of the potentials. You smuggled out the files on the First and helped track down the remaining potentials."  
  
"I did what needed to be done Giles," Eric Travers started thinking. "I don't know if I'm ready to head back to London. I chose Cleveland because it's separate from old Council politics."  
  
"I'm not asking you to take charge of the office. Willow and I have that well covered. The older Watchers are having difficulty accepting the changes we've instituted. You are the Grandson of Quentin Travers, the last head of the old Council and presumptive Heir to the Throne. Your visible acceptance of what we are doing should help to calm at least some of them down."  
  
"Is anything interesting happening in merry old England these days?"  
  
"To be honest, no. Dawn has been working on some new research project for the past week. She says it looks like a magical group has been operating in Wales for at least twenty years. Somehow we have never encountered it before. It has ties back to a ninth century group that may have operated out of the same area. We know almost nothing of that group either."  
  
"Really? That sounds interesting. I thought the Council knew every single magic group in Britain. The idea that someone could hide from us, intriguing," Eric's look became thoughtful. "I'll talk over transferring to London with Faye. No promises Giles. The decision is ultimately hers. So what's the current pool on how long Buffy's speech is going to be this year?" 


	6. Chapter Five The Calls

Chapter Five – The Calls  
  
Lady Aydin was enjoying a rare Saturday morning with her daughter.  
  
"Don't try to focus on anything specific right now Becca," she coached. "Just let yourself float for a while. Tell me what you see."  
  
"I see an ocean. Only it's not blue. It's every color. It seems alive. Oh, I see rivers of color dancing on the surface, red, green, it's beautiful."  
  
"Good. You're seeing just the surface now. I want you look beneath that surface. Try to see deeper."  
  
"OK, its hard, so much happening. Its just," she struggled to find the words, "chaotic?"  
  
"The surface is always chaos. That's why we look beneath to find where the currents truly flow," Lady Aydin spoke in a calming voice. "You need to focus a little now. Don't let yourself be distracted."  
  
"I see something. It's just beneath the waves. Great rivers of color. They're not jumping around like the surface. It feels calmer. No wait. Something's different." Becca's forehead crinkled as she tried to see. "Some of the water is, I don't know how to describe it, funneling? It's swirling, a different color. I think it's trying to break away from the main current. It shouldn't do that!" Becca's voice grew a little panicked. "It's, it's hurting the flow."  
  
"Relax Becca," Lady Aydin's calming voice filled the room. "Rise up above the surface. Float free again." She was pleased. Her daughter saw beneath the surface. She even saw the disruptions around the enclaves. She had yet to connect those currents to specific types of magic but Becca progressed even further then Lady Aydin had at this point in her training. At this rate Becca might even surpass Uncle Micah's gifts. "Ok, now let out your breath. Come back now."  
  
Becca slowly breathed out and a smile brightened her face. "That was amazing. I could feel the currents flowing around me. I've never felt anything like that before."  
  
"You still need to work on your technique. You allowed to many distractions." Lady Aydin gently scolded her daughter.  
  
"I read that Stanford now offers advanced courses in meditation."  
  
Her daughter was nothing if not persistent. "Your father and I agreed to let you apply to universities in the States Becca. We won't make any further decisions until after the responses come back." A delaying tactic. Her daughter's grades and background virtually guaranteed acceptance to any school she applied to.  
  
"Alright, I'll wait. But it's not like I'm asking to," Becca stopped short and her head whipped around looking towards the front of the house.  
  
Lady Aydin sensed it as well. Someone with magic just passed the estates outer wards. She tensed for a few seconds. Then relaxed as she recognized the presence. "It's ok Becca. I know who it is. We've done enough for today. Go ahead and call your friends." With that Lady rose from her seat and began making her way down to the first floor.  
  
She reached the atrium in time to see Montgomery answering the door. An elderly man stood in the entrance. He was tall and thin. Deep lines cut across his face. His white hair was cut short and his beard was neatly trimmed. His suit was a little out of fashion but he wore it well. He looked directly at Lady Aydin. She saw barely contained rage in his eyes. When he spoke she heard the fury in his voice.  
  
"Voldemort's returned."  
  
----  
  
Sir Ian Buford was in the office trying to catch up on his paperwork.  
  
Although Special Projects might be one the smallest departments in MI5, from the Director's perspective, it generated far more paperwork. Of course trying to justify requisitions for newt eyes required creative use of the bureaucracy.  
  
It took nearly three weeks but he managed to send out tasking orders to MI5's moles in the Wizarding world. Unfortunately, he couldn't just send agents into the enclaves. Without magic, they'd stick out as badly as wizards tended to stick out in the regular world. Which meant MI5 had to recruit wizards willing to work with 'muggles' and share their world's deepest secrets. Micah found a solution to that problem. Or, more precisely, the solution found him.  
  
MI5 now had four moles in the Ministry of Magic. Two worked in the Auror division. One was a field operative and didn't provide much intelligence beyond her own assignments. The other, however, was a genuine gold mine. He worked as a mid-level clerk in charge of filing. Virtually every official piece of paper generated by the Aurors crossed his desk. Sir Ian mused on a comment a colleague from Six once said to him over three decades earlier. "No one in the world truly appreciates the value clerks and secretaries except spies."  
  
Five's third mole held a minor position in the International Relations department and provided decent intel on happenings in the European and North African enclaves. The fourth was in Magical Creatures. Not much useful information there. But he was a rising star who might get promoted to a more valuable position.  
  
MI5 also kept contact other wizards who acted as go betweens and provided general information on happenings in the Wizarding world. This included complete copies of the Daily Prophet and Sir Ian's secret vice, The Quibbler.  
  
Sir Ian was just trying to figure out the best way to write up Talerie's purchase of various herb and medicinal plants when his private line rang. Only Lady Aydin and the Prime Minister had access to that line and neither used it for anything trivial. He picked up the phone.  
  
"Director Buford."  
  
"Sir Ian," Lady Aydin's voice came over the line, "I'm on way into the office. Call a meeting of senior staff in one hour and make sure Ms Sinclair is present as well."  
  
"Of course My Lady," Sir Ian replied. "May I ask why?  
  
"Apparently Riddle is back."  
  
---  
  
Jerry Cromwell spent his Saturday morning at the pub watching a football game with his friends.  
  
A cheer went up from the crowd as the goalie made a spectacular block.  
  
"After that, your tabs torn up for the day Jerry," the bartender said. "Your brother's going to lead us all the way this year."  
  
"He might at that, he just might at that," came Jerry's reply. He felt the vibration from his cell phone and quickly answered. "Jerry here."  
  
"Agent Cromwell, you're needed back at the office immediately. Lady Aydin just called a meeting of senior staff in one hour."  
  
"I understand, I'm on my way now," Jerry replied then hung up the phone. He knew this wasn't going to be good. "Sorry Mates, duty to the Queen comes before even football."  
  
As Jerry rose to leave one of his friends shouted, "Blasphemy!!!"  
  
---  
  
Talerie tended the garden on the roof of his London flat.  
  
He always found working with plants relaxing. The prospect of penetrating the Wizarding enclaves disturbed him. Wand magic felt wrong. For all its refinement and precision, wand magic was forced. It seemed to push everything else aside. Most magic blended with the world. Even dark magic had its place. Magic flowed with the world. Wand wielders did not seem to understand that basic truth.  
  
Life would be much simpler if the wizards would just learn to control their own people he mused.  
  
He heard the phone in his flat ringing and frowned. He made his way down to answer but the machine had already picked up by the time he arrived. He played the message. The voice of Director Buford's secretary came over the speaker. "Talerie, a meeting of the senior staff has been called for one hour from now. Please report to the office. Thank you."  
  
He got so few peaceful weekends to putter about the garden since joining MI5.  
  
---  
  
Dr. Marshall was working at home. His team had long ago figured out a way to make electronic devices work in the enclaves. But he was still struggling with reliable communication.  
  
He figured he could get line of site working for most of the radios and wireless gear. But any obstructions seemed to just kill the signal. He theorized that long-term exposure (in most cases centuries) to high levels of magic caused some kind of change in the quantum structure of matter in the Wizarding world. Powering through wasn't the answer. Perhaps varying the frequency.  
  
He heard the phone in the other room. His wife answered.  
  
"Honey, it's someone from your office."  
  
"I'll take it in here." He picked up the extension in his office, "Dr. Marshall."  
  
"I'm sorry to disturb you at home Dr. Marshall but you're needed at the office in an hour. Lady Aydin wants to meet with senior staff as soon as possible."  
  
"I'll be right in."  
  
---  
  
Major Harry Chisholm was running his team though another training session.  
  
He prayed his men would not be called upon, but it was his duty to ensure they were prepared for any eventuality. Major Chisholm had been a newly assigned Lieutenant to the SAS when his team had been tapped to go into enclaves for some very nasty wetwork thirteen years earlier.  
  
After Riddle had disappeared the Wizarding world tried to imprison as many of his followers as they could. But too many of the trials had turned into jokes; obvious Death Eaters had been freed on the flimsy excuse that they had been under Imperious curses. Lady Aydin's Uncle had developed new sources of intelligence into the Wizarding world and managed to develop a lead on a group of Death Eaters that was trying to locate and restore Riddle.  
  
The Prime Minister had personally authorized the assassination of the seven wizards believed to be part of the plot. Lt Chisholm's team managed to locate three of them and Chisholm had personally fire the bullet that killed one of them. Their disappearance had been written off in the Wizarding world as one of the many acts of revenge carried out after Riddle vanished. Unfortunately, they failed to find the other four before they captured and tortured two young Aurors. Those four were later captured by the Aurors and sent to Azkaban.  
  
Major Chisholm broke from his reflections to address his men.  
  
"Alright lads, gather round. If that last go around had been for real, half of you'd be dead now. So I'm going to explain this one more time. This is a wand," he said holding up a thinly carved stick. "When you see one these I want you to think 'loaded gun' because that's what these are in the hands of a wizard."  
  
"When a wizard starts to speak, that's the same as pulling a trigger," he continued. "So whenever a wizard points a wand at you and starts talking that means he's pointing a loaded gun at you and pulling the trigger. And what do you do when someone points a loaded weapon in your direction?"  
  
"Put a bullet through his head sir," came the reply from one of his men.  
  
"Exactly. Our advantage is speed and surprise. They don't think us 'muggles' are dangerous. So don't give a wizard time to think of a spell and never give him a chance to speak."  
  
Major Chisholm's lecture was interrupted when a staff sergeant entered the room. "I'm sorry to intrude sir, but we just received a message from MI5. They need you at the Special Projects office immediately."  
  
"Very well. Lt Cranston run the lads through the simulation again until they get it right. And then run them through it again until they get it perfect."  
  
"Yes sir!"  
  
---  
  
Jennifer Sinclair was surfing the internet. She loved learning about the world. It was so much bigger than anyone had ever told her while she was growing up. The diversity of people, cultures and most amazingly magic.  
  
For most of her life everyone said magic only existed only in the Wizarding world. Discovering magic existed outside the enclaves was her biggest surprise upon joining MI5 seven years earlier. Of course that was why her Grandfather had sent her out into the world (she no longer really thought of it as the 'muggle' world). He needed allies and they needed information. It was mutually beneficial relationship.  
  
With the possibility that Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters was preparing a new assault upon the Wizarding world Jennifer's chief goal was too convince Lady Aydin to intervene directly into the enclaves. But that was a concern for another day. For now she was reading about the history of Russia.  
  
The phone rang and Jennifer answered, "Hello."  
  
"Ms Sinclair. It's Director Buford."  
  
"Good morning Director Buford," the warning bells in head starting going off. "I assume something big just happened?"  
  
"Lady Aydin calling a meeting of senior staff in one hour. She wants you there. Your Grandfather went to her house. He says Riddle's back." 


	7. Chapter Six Field Trip

Chapter Six - Field Trip  
  
"Ok Dawn, explain to me why we are driving around central London looking for an antique shop?" Eric Travers was starting to get a little impatient.  
  
"Because you asked to help on my 'little' research project when you and Faye got in yesterday," Dawn answered.  
  
"That's an answer not an explanation."  
  
"I figured the theft of the Dagger of D'Karsh has to be related to theft of the Orb of D'Karsh fifteen years ago. You with me so far?"  
  
"The theft from last month that started you on this little kick, I'm with you."  
  
"Ok, from the information Robert got from his meeting with Lady Aydin we knew a powerful mage of some kind was active between thirteen and fifteen years ago," Dawn explained. "That gave me a starting point. I had the research staff look for all similar thefts of occult artifacts from around that time that might be linked to D'Karsh or the group he was connected with. They found a bunch, along with at least nine other murders starting a over twenty years ago."  
  
"How the hell did the Council miss something that big?" Robert was surprised.  
  
"I'm still working on that," Dawn answered. "But the thing is almost all of the items stolen at one point or another past through Buckland's Antique Shop and Auction House. So we're going to check the place out. I wanted to do it as soon as I got back from Cleveland, but I kept getting distracted by apocalypses. For my next project I'm to find out why demons always choose May for trying to blow up the world."  
  
"Sweeps, demons like good ratings," came the reply from the backseat.  
  
"Huh?" even after three years Eric was still getting use to his Slayer's sense of humor.  
  
"Never mind Eric," Faye smiled. It felt good to be here. Even freelancing she still spent her down time at the Cleveland office. London didn't have the memories of dead friends around every corner. She returned to quietly watching the people out the window.  
  
"There it is," Dawn pointed to a storefront. "Park the car and let's get moving"  
  
"Now she wants me to find a parking spot in London in the middle of the afternoon," Eric mumbled.  
  
Twenty minutes later the three were making their way back down the street towards the shop.  
  
"Anything else your research turned up about this place before we go in?" Robert asked.  
  
"It's one of only a couple of auction houses in London that's never contracted with the Council for an appraiser and it has a reputation for selling useless magical trinkets."  
  
"What kind of trinkets?"  
  
"A couple of Willow's friends say they've bought stuff from here that has some kind of magic but they can't access it."  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser. How do you want to play this?"  
  
"Bored American tourists looking for gifts for relatives back home."  
  
As they approached the shop Dawn took time to study every detail. The shop front was worn down. The place looked like it came out of renaissance England. When Dawn pushed the door open she heard the familiar sound of a shopkeeper's bell. Various knick-knacks and trinkets crowded the tables in the center of the room and the shelves lining the walls. Dawn didn't see any particular order to the items. There was a counter at the back of the store but Dawn did not see any salespeople around. The cash register looked ridiculously out of date. She felt a slight tingle as she moved deeper into the shop.  
  
Faye came into the shop next. As she crossed the threshold her instincts started to buzz. Something was off about this place. She felt the Slayer start to come to the fore.  
  
As he came in Eric saw Faye's demeanor change. Seeing the predatory look in her eye and the controlled grace of her movements Eric knew something was wrong and also shifted to a defensive stance. He scanned the shop but nothing struck him as dangerous.  
  
Dawn noticed the change in Faye and Eric but decided to keep playing tourist. Something about the place gave her a tingle but it didn't feel dangerous. She continued to study the items on the table. Eric and Faye flanked her. They started to look at some of the items as well, but Dawn could tell something had brought the Slayer out in Faye. A couple of minutes later the shopkeeper appeared behind the counter. He looked a little flustered  
  
"What do you want?" he asked. He was annoyed. He ran all the way through the connecting tunnel from his shop in Knockturn Alley only to discover, not the client he'd been expecting, but some silly muggles.  
  
"Oh, we were just looking for some gifts for our friends back in LA," Dawn answered. Was this guy really wearing robes?  
  
American muggles at that, he thought. "I doubt you will find anything of interest here. I hear they have an excellent tourist shop at the Tower of London. Why don't you try there?"  
  
"Ok, thanks," Dawn turned to leave and motioned for Eric and Faye to follow her. As soon as they left the store Dawn led them across the street and down the block before turning to Faye.  
  
"Ok, what set you off back there?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I don't know. The second I entered the shop something struck me as off. It wasn't the shop itself," Faye examined her memories. "Definitely not the shop. Something behind the shop. Like a barrier trying to push me away."  
  
"Did you feel anything Eric?"  
  
"No, I was reacting to Faye. What about you?"  
  
Dawn paused. Eric and Faye did not know about the Key and the tingle she felt did not feel like it came from a barrier. She decided to talk about it with Willow later. "No, I didn't. Faye are you sure you didn't sense anything before walking into the shop?"  
  
"Yes, nothing until I entered the shop."  
  
"What about now? Do you think you can sense the barrier thingy from outside the shop?"  
  
"Maybe, now that I know what to look for. Why?"  
  
"I want to do a little experimenting."  
  
---  
  
Later that afternoon found the three in Giles' office with Willow.  
  
"Dear Lord, you're saying an entire block or more of London is effectively cut off from the rest of the city by a magic barrier?" Giles took off his glasses and began polishing with vigor.  
  
"That's what it looks like. Once Faye knew what to look for we worked our way up and down Charing Cross Road," Dawn detailed. "Faye, tell the man."  
  
"I sensed some kind of barrier behind the stores. I don't know how to describe it in words," Faye paused. "At first I though it was trying to push me away, but once I left the store that feeling went away. It was just a wall after that. I think there was some kind of hole in the wall between a bookstore and record shop we passed. At least that spot felt different and I'm certain there is some kind of concealment charm covering the spot."  
  
"We walked up all the side streets and the parallel streets," Eric continued. "The barrier seems to extend around a square block area of London effectively cutting it off from the rest of the city. The auction house and that spot between the book and record stores seem to be only ways in."  
  
"Interesting," Giles turned his attention to Willow. "Willow, Dawn mentioned that you knew some people who shopped at this auction house. Did they mention anything like Faye's reaction?"  
  
"No, but they're low level members of the coven. Their senses are nowhere near as good as Faye's. Not that many Slayer's senses are as good as Faye's," Willow answered. "Goddess, this is unbelievable. How could we miss something like this?"  
  
"I don't know," Dawn replied. "I'll have the research department do a thorough search through the files for any reference to Buckland's or Charing Cross Road. I'm still trying to figure out how all those thefts and murders from fifteen years didn't get investigated. I know the Slayers who were active at the time were not available, but the research wing of the Council was always pretty good about following up on such things in case it might later need the attention of the Slayer. Got any ideas Giles?"  
  
"I was still with British Museum at that time. I don't recall any mention in the Council's meetings about such matters," Giles mused. "Of course I was with the operations side of the Council so most of my briefings dealt with the active Slayers. Eric do you recall anything?"  
  
"I was stateside most of those years attending college. Besides Grandfather was grooming me to take over control of the Slayer line. I didn't spend a lot of time dealing with the happenings in research. Back then the branches operated pretty independently of one another."  
  
"Very well," Giles shifted his attention back to Dawn. "It seems you were correct, this project was worth the time. Do you have any idea what might be behind this barrier?"  
  
"Goody, Giles in humble mode," Dawn smiled. "Well, I've got a theory but it's pretty wild."  
  
"How wild?" asked Eric.  
  
"Wild enough that I want to do more research before I state it out loud."  
  
"Come on give us a hint."  
  
"Let's just say that group of mages D'Karsh belonged to had to go somewhere," replied Dawn.  
  
"Alright," said Giles, "Willow, I want you and Kennedy to go Charing Cross tomorrow with Faye. See if either of you can sense this barrier. Under no circumstances do anything to try beach the barrier or draw attention to your selves. Someone connected to this Buckland's is a killer. I don't want them to know we looking for them. Once that is done, Willow I want you see if you can find any other areas around London with a similar barrier."  
  
"I don't know Giles," Willow said. "I checked the map I keep in my office of magic hotspots around London and nothing on Charing Cross Road shows up. Whatever that barrier is, it's invisible to my standard locator spells."  
  
"If we have to we'll have the Slayers do a complete sweep of the city. It would seem this barrier is not invisible to them," Giles replied. "Dawn, continue your research. This is now a priority project. I want to know where this barrier came from and what's behind it." 


	8. Chapter Seven Confirmation

Chapter Seven - Confirmation

A tense mood settled over the conference room. Lady Aydin observed her people with care. The past month had been spent in a fruitless effort to confirm Elder Sinclair's assertion that Riddle had been restored.

"Alright," she began, "Let's review what we know. Sir Ian what do our agents in the Wizarding world report?"

"My Lady, two of our contacts in the Wizarding world have children attending Hogwarts. At the Leaving Feast last week Headmaster Dumbledore announced Voldermort's return publicly. Thus far there has been no official word from the Ministry," Director Buford paused. "Our agents in the Ministry report that Fudge is convinced Riddle is still dead and that this is some kind of plot by Dumbledore to take over. They also report Fudge is spending a lot of time with Lucius Malfoy who we're fairly certain is a Death Eater."

"What about the death of the Diggory boy?" asked Cromwell.

"Beyond the announcement of his death during the Tri-Wizard tournament, nothing."

"Have we been able to get a hold of the Aurors notes on the investigation or a transcript of their interview with Potter?" Cromwell continued to press.

"No investigation took place," answered Director Buford. "And the Aurors never interviewed Potter. Dumbledore didn't allow them near the boy."

"What?!? A boy was murdered and the Aurors didn't investigate or interview the only witness to the crime," Cromwell was incensed.

"As I said Dumbledore didn't allow them access to Potter and Fudge's idiocy eliminated the only other witness," replied Director Buford.

"Why would Dumbledore block access to Potter?" Dr. Marshall joined in. "If he's going to announce Riddle's return publicly it makes sense to get an official record of what happened. Unless Fudge is right and he really is plotting against the Ministry."

"No," came the reply. The old man seated to the right of Lady Aydin spoke for the first time. "Whatever faults Albus has, and there are many, such petty politicking is beneath him. If he wanted Fudge removed, he would simply remove him. The man is of no consequence to Albus. No, Albus is playing his own game, as he did last time Voldemort walked openly. Lady Aydin, you should declare the Covenant void now and move against the enclaves, before more people start dying."

"Elder Sinclair, declaring the Covenant void is not an option. Surely, you of all people understand what would happen," Lady responded. "It would mean the protections around the enclaves would vanish. The Wizarding world would stand revealed for all to see. This is not a thousand years ago when only a few people might see and you can casually toss around memory charms and reseal the Covenant so the people you missed are never believed. With modern communications the entire world would know within a matter of hours. There would be backlashes against Wizards, particularly since we would have to tell the world about Riddle and the other threats from your community. It would mean the complete destruction of your world. We're trying to prevent that fate."

"I know," the Elder's voice was filled with bitterness, "but you assume my world and my people are worth saving."

"It's not just your world at stake Elder," Lady Aydin continued, "With the Wizarding world revealed it will only be a matter of time before the entire supernatural world comes out of the shadows. The world would have proof magic exists. People are not ready for that truth. They don't want that truth. No we've spent thirteen years developing the means to deal with threats from the Wizarding world short of declaring the Covenant void. I intend to use those means."

"Very well, that decision is, of course, yours. But you do have a list of suspected Death Eaters. Now is the time to eliminate them."

"Not without proof. We do not assassinate people on suspicion,"Lady Aydin was growing tired of this argument. "We don't yet have confirmation Riddle has returned. Our only evidence is what you heard the Potter boy said when he reappeared with Cedric Diggory's body and Dumbledore's argument with Fudge."

"You were fortunate I chose to attend the finals of the Tri-Wizard tournament and that my blood allows me free access to Hogwarts." A smile flickered across his face. "Not even Albus has the power to keep me out. The castle knows blood," he stopped and looked directly at Lady Aydin. "Albus is certain of Voldemort's return, that should be enough."

"I was under the impression you didn't like the Headmaster," Cromwell said.

"Make no mistake Albus is a manipulative bastard," came the reply. "Behind that twinkle and smile is man just as ruthless in his own way as Voldemort. The world is fortunate he has no interest in political power. No, as I said, he has his own games and his own goals. Voldemort is most likely nothing more than a distraction to him. But on matters like this, he is rarely wrong."

"That may be well enough for you Elder, but I need confirmation before the Prime Minister or the Queen will give me authorization to breach the enclaves," Lady Aydin shifted her attention to a different person at the table. "Talerie, have you been able to determine anything more about the means Riddle used to restore himself or any way we can confirm his return?"

"I'm not certain," Talerie answered. "The Council's report on the Ritual of D'Karsh was quite thorough. It was derived from a ritual used by an offshoot of the Druids. The Council theorized, correctly, that the dagger was meant to link the magic from the ritual back to the protective magic of the Orb of D'Karsh. However I believe it also served the purpose of making the magic drawn from the Druid ritual compatible with that of wand wielders."

Talerie paused in thought. "Their notes did indicate that the key components of the ritual were the blood of the an enemy, obviously Potter, the flesh of a servant, any one of the Death Eaters that escaped punishment thirteen years ago would suffice and the bone of an ancestor. The father would be natural choice. Do we know where Riddle's father was buried?"

"The orphanage he grew up in was destroyed in a 'mysterious' fire over thirty years ago," Cromwell responded. "The records conveniently went up in flames."

"Elder Sinclair," Talerie shifted his attention, "would records of Riddle's family be kept on file in the Ministry along with burial locations?"

"Certainly his mother's would. But his father was a muggle, the Ministry would not bother keeping such records."

"Then we will have to do a search on the name Riddle and see what we can come up with," Director Buford said. "Assuming we can find the grave Talerie, what do you plan on doing?"

"From the limited description Elder Sinclair supplied, we can guess the ritual took place at the grave of Riddle's father. There should be traces of the magic and other evidence of such a powerful ritual. Depending on what we find that should be enough for confirmation."

"Very well, Agent Cromwell initiate a search for the burial site of Riddle's father. I want that confirmation."

---

A week later Jennifer Sinclair and Agent Grayden were watching a man walk around the gravesite of Tom Riddle Sr. busily sketching away on an artists pad.

"So Grayden, how well do you know Mr. Lovat?" Sinclair asked her partner.

"This is the first time I've worked with him," he answered. "Some of the SAS guys worked with the Hunting Lodge he belongs to a few years ago. Some ex-Nazi was using a Pictish relic to summon lightening to kill various spiritual leaders. The SAS provided the muscle when the Lodge raided his headquarters. They say Lovat's a good lad."

"And you think he can get us the confirmation we need?"

Grayden nodded, "He's an Adept like myself. Only his talents lie not in feeling the magic but in seeing the psychic traces left behind by magic. His sketches of events are remarkably accurate. Unless Riddle knew how to shield the ritual properly Lovat should be able to see everything that happened here."

"Its unlikely Riddle shielded the ritual from such a person. Until I moved out into the real world I didn't even know magic left behind such obvious signatures. You can actually tell when someone has been under the influence of an Imperious curse or whether a particular item has been charmed and with enough practice the type of charm. Talerie is right, for all my people's skill, they are incredibly ignorant of how magic truly works. Are your senses picking anything up?"

"Yea, I can feel magic all over the place," he responded. "Definitely wand magic. But all I can tell is what kind of magic was used and a few of the spells, not who used it. That's why I asked Mr. Lovat for help," he nodded in the direction of the man still sketching on his pad a few feet away.

"Isn't this a violation of the Covenant? He's not a member of Special Projects and doesn't fall under Lady Aydin's jurisdiction." Sinclair wondered.

"Lady Aydin explained it to me once," Grayden answered. "The Covenant prevents us from telling outside parties about the Wizarding world. What they learn on their own, however, we have no control over. All we've done here is ask Mr. Lovat to examine a ritual site. We didn't tell him anything about what he might find here or who was responsible. I admit it's a technicality. But given the stupidity of the Ministry, Lady Aydin's willing to use any little loophole she can find. Besides, if it truly was a violation of the Covenant then the binding magic would not have allowed us to bring him here."

She nodded and continued to watch Mr. Lovat work.

A few minutes later a very tired looking Mr. Lovat finally stopped sketching and walked back to the two MI5 agents.

"Someone was very sloppy with their ritual," he stated. "The ground was never properly prepared and it looks like no effort was made to shield the area. You might want to check in the village, anybody with even a little psychic talent had to have felt what happened here that night." They watched him shiver a bit and lift his hand and touch the ring on his finger to his forehead. "This place needs to be cleansed. The residue is almost overpowering."

"I know the proper cleansing rituals Mr. Lovat," Grayden spoke. "I plan on performing them as soon as we complete gathering evidence. We have a more traditional forensic team waiting in the village until you completed your more shall we say esoteric inquiries. Can we see your sketches now."

"Here," Mr. Lovat replied. He tore off the fist few sheets from his sketchpad and handed them to Grayden. "Are you sure you don't need any other help? This looks like very nasty business. A boy was murdered here."

"Thank you for the offer Mr. Lovat," Grayden replied. "But I can assure you MI5 has the situation well in hand. Lady Aydin will contact Sir Adam in a couple of days to thank him personally for your assistance. The officers will take you back to the airport now," he motioned to a couple of uniformed officers leaning against their car outside the fence.

"Very well," Mr. Lovat sighed. "I hope those help catch the villain that did this." With that Mr. Lovat took his leave of the MI5 agents and headed away.

After Mr. Lovat drove off Grayden laid the sketches out so he and Sinclair could examine them. The first showed two terrified looking boys being menaced by a straggly looking man. In the next, one boy was lying on the ground, the Diggory boy they both figured and the second boy, obviously Potter, Lovat exaggerated the scar on his forehead, was propped up against the grave of Tom Riddle Sr.

The next few sketches showed the ritual progressing, the straggly man cutting off his hand and then pouring the blood from Potter into the cauldron. They both stopped on the next picture. A face, only vaguely human took up most of the page. Snakelike features dominated, the eyes in particular, along with slits for nostrils. Sinclair and Grayden exchanged a look. There were still a few more sketches to look at but they both knew what that face meant. Sinclair pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial.

"I need to speak to Director Buford immediately," she said. After a few seconds pause she spoke again, "Director Buford," she stared down at the face. "We have confirmation."


	9. Chapter Eight Memories of the Way We We...

Chapter Eight – Memories of the Way We Were

"Hey baby, what has you so tense?" Kennedy walked up behind Willow and began massaging her shoulders while Willow continued to examine a small animal figurine.

"I just don't get it," Willow said. "All the Slayers can sense these barriers, but I can't. Neither can any of my students or the other mages we work with. I've tried every detection spell I know and a few I don't. I've even tried the back door and looked for the masking spell that has to be around the barrier instead of the barrier itself. Nothing, zilch, nada."

"What's Dawn say?"

"She just nods her head and says it all fits. I swear this whole thing is some kind of elaborate prank so she can get back at me for beating her at chess while she was growing up," Willow sounded exasperated.

"Come on, don't you think you're being a little paranoid," Kennedy teased back.

"We're talking about Dawn Summers. Do I have to remind you what she pulled on Giles last year?"

"Good point. It's been really nice knowing you Willow."

"Hey there buster, nice to know you care."

"I love you," Kennedy leaned in to give Willow a peck on the cheek. "But I'm not dumb enough to get between Dawn and a potential mark. So what are you working on now?"

"The stuff we bought from Buckland's. Most of what they sell is just junk, but there are a lot of items that have been charmed in some way. I've been working on accessing the magic for the past couple of days," Willow tapped the figurine in front of her. "I think this is supposed to be a Hippogriff. The last reported sighting of one was over 200 hundred years ago." Willow gently brushed her hand across the figurine's head. "I can feel magic inside. It feels different."

"What do mean honey?"

"It feels like the magic has been pushed into it. Kinda forced," she replied, "Mathew says it feels like the same kind of magic used to kill that guard. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Most of the magical artifacts we've encountered over the years don't give off such an obvious signature. Most only respond to specific spells or people otherwise they're inert. Even the Scythe, for all its power, can only be felt by the Slayers or people who are very sensitive to magic. And then it's only when it's touched. Some of these I could feel from halfway across the room. And believe me, these things don't have anywhere near the power of the Scythe."

"Maybe that's why these people hide behind those barriers," Kennedy theorized. "Because their magic sticks out so much."

"Maybe," Willow mused. "But that presents a different problem. Whoever created those barriers knows a lot about how to conceal magic. I mean a lot. Whatever spell they used is a piece of beauty. Whoever created these charms is sloppy and probably doesn't know a thing about magic beyond creating these charms."

"Maybe Dawn will finally let us in on her pet theory soon."

"Goddess I hope so. I can only take so much running into a brick wall."

---

Dawn Summers had her own frustrations. Over the past couple of weeks the Slayers located several other spots around London isolated by the mysterious mystical barriers. They had to pass close to the shop or the other entrance Faye had found before they got a sense of what they were looking for. But once a Slayer got the scent the barriers became easy to find. The concealment spells clearly did not take into account the Slayer. That fit in with Dawn's theory about the about their origin.

The two largest barriers were within a few blocks of the Antique store. The entrance to one spot seemed to be a phone booth. Faye mentioned that somebody obviously watched too many episodes of Get Smart while growing up. Dawn didn't get it.

The frustrating part was how the Council could have overlooked all this fifteen years ago. Missing the connection to the group D'Karsh belonged to she could understand. While the Watchers maintained perhaps the finest library in the world on the subjects of demons and vampires, their information on the supernatural world beyond those subjects was just not as good.

The various groups that practiced in the field were secretive and getting information out of them was not easy. She made the connection because in the process of restructuring the research department she and Willow made a concerted effort to shore up the sections on mages and magic. They also worked with outside groups to get copies of materials or at least reference lists. Dawn's pet project was working on a supernatural inter-library loan system.

The information on D'Karsh was among the new material Willow had brought in. Fifteen years ago that link could not have been made. But the thefts and murders should have been noticed and investigated.

"Ms Summers," one the research staff knocked on the open door to her office.

"Yes Linda, have you found anything yet?"

"I think so, but I don't understand it."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Well," she looked around nervously. "I took your advice and applied the search programs Ms Rosenberg wrote to the entire database, not just the books we've scanned into the system so far."

"Ok and what spit out."

"There is a notation in the AP files about a purchase from Buckland's a few days after the murder of Mr. Holmes. It seems one of our field operatives was investigating and made the connection to Buckland's."

"That's great," Dawn was excited. "Who was it, we need to interview them now."

Linda stared down at the floor then tossed a printout on the desk. "It was me. I made the purchase. Ms Summers I swear I don't remember anything about investigating the Holmes murder or going to Buckland's."

"It's ok Linda," Dawn motioned to the chair in front of her desk, "Take a seat. Do you still have your case notes from that time?"

"Yes and I looked through them before coming in here. There's nothing there about the Holmes murder. However there are some gaps I can't explain," she stopped and frowned in concentration. "When I try to remember what I was doing then, it's all just a blur."

Dawn was lost in thought. "Of course, I'm an idiot! Their so obsessed with secrecy they'd have multiple layers of security," Dawn picked up the phone on her desk and quickly punched in an extension. "Kennedy, put Willow on. Willow, it's Dawn. I need you get down to research now. I'll explain when you get here."

----

Giles was having a bad day. He mused on how much easier life was when his principle concern was thwarting the next apocalypse. Now he was running a multinational organization dedicated to stopping evil. His life revolved budgets, personnel movement, silly Council politics and other 'fun' subjects.

"Who would have thought you'd end up here Ripper," Giles mumbled to himself as he tried to figure out the best way to upgrade the Indonesian facilities. Xander had put together a solid proposal along with a surprisingly affordable budget (once he'd removed Faith's requests for a dance club and full bar). But it would take at least eight months to get it up and running after construction began and they couldn't start that for at least four months. They needed room to move at least one additional team down to Indonesian now and they just didn't have it.

Giles looked up in relief at the sound of knocking at his door. "Come in."

"Hey Giles," Dawn came in followed closely by Willow. "You're going to need an extra set of glasses because I'm pretty sure you're going to polish the current lenses away."

Giles was just reaching up to pull his glasses off. He stopped short and glared at Dawn. Then proceeded to take off his glasses and lightly polish the lenses. "What is it now?"

"Willow, you want to tell him."

"Tell me what?"

Willow took a seat and looked directly at Giles. "At least four people in the research department had their memories either altered or partially erased with magic."

"Dear Lord. Are you certain?"

"I examined them myself Giles. It's same sloppy magic used to charm those trinkets and kill that guard," Willow began fidgeting in her seat. "It was brute force, no consideration for the damage they could do. Magic used on the mind is the most delicate kind of magic. You don't just casually toss around memory charms. It's wrong."

Dawn reached out and took Willow's hand, "Willow, breath," she mentally kicked herself for not thinking about how Willow might react to such spells. She was too excited about finding a reason why the Council didn't investigate the murders. She should have called in one the other Wicca stationed in London.

Giles waited for Willow to calm down. He noticed Dawn's reaction and decided he wouldn't need to talk to her later. She obviously figured out her mistake on her own. He turned his attention back to Willow. Painful memories or not, there were questions that needed to be asked.

"Willow, do you think you can remove the spell? Restore their memories," he spoke in a calm voice.

"I'm ok guys, it's just," she stopped and looked at the wall. She took a deep breath and turned back to Giles. "I don't know. I doubt it. The spells were put on them over a decade ago, their minds will have already filled in the gaps and made their own connections. Memories can be very fluid. After this long, removing the spell would probably do a lot of damage and there is no guarantee they'll actually remember what happened."

"I understand," Giles turned his attention back to Dawn. "I assume this is all related to your project."

"Yes," Dawn answered. "My guess is the research department did notice the thefts and field agents took it upon themselves to investigate. In the process they got close to something they shouldn't have and someone wiped their memories in order to keep their secrets."

"Dawn, I've given you a great deal of latitude in this matter, but I think the time for coyness is at an end. I don't care how wild your theory is or how incomplete the research. We need to know everything now."

"You're right Giles," Dawn nodded. "Let's get everybody together in the conference room in twenty minutes. It will go faster if I only have to explain this once and I need to grab my notes."

"Very well, twenty minutes. I expect this to be good."

"Believe me Giles. If I'm guessing right this will seriously blow your mind."


	10. Chapter Nine The Shifting Currents

Chapter Nine – The Shifting Currents

That same afternoon found Lady Aydin deep in meditation. The tingle she had been feeling for the past couple of months simply would not go away.

Her people finally got confirmation of Riddle's restoration. The pictures from Mr. Lovat were chilling. But even absent that the ritual site literally overflowed with evidence.

The forensic team that searched the site after Lovat left found traces of blood from at least four different people. They surmised two belonged to Potter and the mystery man orchestrating the Ritual although it would take DNA testing to confirm. The other two remained a mystery. Trace amounts of various chemicals and plants residue were found near the gravesite. According to Talerie they matched up to the elements needed for the Ritual of D'Karsh.

They also found snakeskin at the site; they were still waiting for DNA testing to tell them the species.

The team lifted over a dozen sets of footprints from the site, at least fifteen people had been present that night, again consistent with Mr. Lovat's sketches. The Elder Sinclair theorized that Voldemort had called his senior lieutenants to his side after his restoration.

What amazed Lady Aydin, indeed the entire senior staff, was the complete lack of evidence that anybody else had visited the site after that night. It made no sense. Surely Dumbledore could have surmised where Riddle performed the ritual. After all he had access to the Potter boy.

For that matter they could have used the Goblet to determine the location of the ritual. It was obviously a site specific Portkey and one charmed for multiple trips.

Even if the Wizarding world did not have people with Mr. Lovat's or agent Grayden's talents there was still enough evidence to confirm whatever story Potter was telling.

All he'd have to do is tell Fudge where to look and a team of Aurors could investigate the site. Of course the Aurors seemed quite willing to write off the death of an innocent child without investigation. But failing that Dumbledore himself could have investigated and brought the evidence to Fudge. It would end the cold war that seemed to be developing between the two.

Elder Sinclair was right Dumbledore clearly was playing his own game. That made him dangerous. And the Ministry was flat out incompetent. The former copper in agent Cromwell was outraged about the complete lack of any investigation into the death of Cedric Diggory.

Past experience taught Lady Aydin that the Ministry would discount any evidence brought to them by mere "muggles." Uncle Micah had tried to warn the Ministry of the plot to restore Riddle thirteen years ago and his warnings were met with deaf ears. He was forced to act on own. Unfortunately his actions came to late to save the Longbottoms.

Evidence MI5 provided about Death Eater attacks on British citizens had been similarly ignored during the trails. After all "muggles" didn't know anything. Not to mention the fact that the crimes against the "muggles" simply didn't rate as that important to the Ministry.

This time would be different.

The confirmation of Riddle's return gave MI5 one thing it needed. The Queen and the Prime Minister agreed that the Ministry of Magic was clearly unable to deal with this threat. Therefore they sanctioned Tom Riddle for assassination along with any confirmed Death Eaters. If bodies were going to start piling up again they preferred the bodies be inside the enclaves. The Queen said the time for dealing with the with Wizarding world with a gentle hand was at an end. Now all they needed was confirmed targets.

Lady Aydin knew she was following the correct current. That usually meant the warning tingle went away. But it refused to go away. She was still missing something. So she meditated and tried to sort through the currents.

She saw swirls and disruptions around the enclaves. The funneling her daughter had described weeks earlier seemed to be growing stronger. They went deep. Deeper then Lady Aydin's talents allowed her to see. She examined the currents around the enclaves. She saw the current she associated with her people moving around the enclaves. Trying to calm the waters. She knew on their own they were not strong enough.

For some reason Uncle Micah's words came to mind. "All the currents flow together in the end."

She expanded her search. She began to drift out, away from the enclaves to examine the broader currents. After a few minutes she saw something that made her stop cold. One of the more powerful currents was changing direction. For most of her life this current had been a small one. Powerful but small. It was almost always drawn to the most powerful and dangerous disruptions, the ones Lady Aydin would never dream of trying to navigate.

For the past few years the current had been growing steadily stronger and larger. Now it was on a path to enclaves. Lady Aydin knew what that meant.

The Slayers had discovered the Wizarding world.


	11. Chapter Ten Wars Past

Author's Note - Point of clarification for those who are wondering. The characters from MI5 are indeed my own creation. The character of Peregine Lovat who appeared in "Confirmations" was lifted from the Adpet series along with his abilities. The character of Sir John Grahm who will be making an appearence in a short while is also lifted from those books.

Chapter Ten – Wars Past

Faye enjoyed an afternoon nap. She and Eric spent the past three days in Germany working with the Slayers guarding the Hellmouth straddling the German-Austrian border. Giles thought it was a good idea for them to familiarize themselves with European operations and Eric agreed. Germany was the least active of the four Hellmouths but it still drew a far larger demon population than any other spot on Earth with exception of its three siblings.

Faye hadn't slept in nearly forty-eight hours. She spent the time working with one the local teams tracking a particularly nasty pack of vampires. She and Eric had then caught the first flight to London in morning. She never could sleep on an airplane so she commandeered one of the dorm rooms for a quick nap the moment they got back.

She dreamed.

She stood in front of a wall. It stretched away from her in both directions and seemed to curve off in the distance. She looked up straining to see the top, but it was too high. She turned to examine her environment. She saw a field of lush green. In the distance she saw a forest. She took a few steps forward and breathed deep. She smelled flowers, new grass the unmistakable scent of spring. She was surrounded by beauty.

She turned back to wall. As she walked towards it she noticed that something seemed to be leaching out from beneath. The grass nearest the wall was dying.

Suddenly she found herself flying. She sped upward. She reached the top of wall and kept going higher. As she reached the zenith of her ascent she gazed down and discovered the wall formed a giant ring cutting off a part of the world.

Then she swooped down over the wall into the enclave. As she dropped the world around her grew dark. The enormous wall created a shadow that seemed to cover everything inside. The ground approached and what she saw there shocked her to the core.

A dying land. The shadow from wall cut off the sun. The plants could barely grow. Patches of green could be seen here and there. But only a few and far between. From the distance came the sound of laughter. Faye flew towards the source and saw a man. He seemed to be moving between the few patches of green spreading poison. Killing the remaining bastions of growth in this land.

Faye's eyes opened at the sound of knocking on her door.

She got up from the bed and tossed on a robe. "Come in."

Robert opened the door and poked his head inside. "Ms Haughton."

"Faye."

"Excuse me."

"I've told you before Robert, my name is Faye."

"Yes of course," Robert flashed a quick smile. "There's a meeting in the main conference room in," he glimpsed at his watch, "fifteen minutes. Mr. Travers is already there. I believe Ms Summers has finally decided to share her theory about those magic walls you discovered."

The images from her dream danced through her mind. She looked up at Robert and nodded her head. "Give me a minute to get dressed and I'll be right down. I think I may have something to contribute.

Dawn felt a little nervous. She knew her theory sound but large chunks were still speculation with only a small amount of evidence to back it up. But Giles was right. The discovery of how far those behind the walls would go to protect their secrets meant the time for her coyness was past.

She looked up from scanning her notes to see if everyone had arrived yet. Giles sat at the end of table. Willow to his right and Xander to his left. Xander was spending a couple of days in London to work on the problems with the Indonesian facilities with Giles. Kennedy and Faye represented the active Slayers. Eric sat next to his Slayer. Linda along with another member of the research staff sat opposite them.

She got up from her chair stood at the podium at the head of the room. She quickly arranged her notes.

"Looks like the gangs all here," she said. "So let's get this started."

Everyone stopped talking and turned their attention to her.

"As you all know this investigation began with a murder and theft in Wales," Dawn spoke clearly. "We determined that the item stolen was the Dagger of D'Karsh. Investigating that murder led to discovery of a series of similar thefts and murders covering a seven-year period starting twenty years ago. The common thread in all of these cases was what was stolen. Each item had a connection either to the wizard D'Karsh or the group of mages he belonged to."

"At first I couldn't find any mention of the group beyond the name of one of D'Karsh's students," she continued. "I thought that was because the old Council had moved those records into their restricted archives. I no longer believe that's the case. While I could find no virtually no mention of D'Karsh's group in the historical records after the mid ninth century, I did find quite a few prior to that period."

"Are you saying D'Karsh and his followers were destroyed during the ninth century?" asked Giles.

"I'm getting to that," Dawn answered. "What I mean by no reference, is that the group seems to have literally dropped off the face of Earth sometime between 830 and 850 AD. The only things I could find were mentions of the some of their artifacts, like the Dagger and Orb, that popped up from time to time."

"Prior to that period however I found several interesting pieces of information," Dawn again scanned the room. "The group that D'Karsh belonged to was very secretive. From the material I could find, most of it from the new stuff we've brought in during the restructuring and some I've borrowed from groups we've allied with over the last five years, I learned there was a shadow war between D'Karsh's group and several other groups of mages that lasted for over two hundred years."

"A magic war," Willow sounded shock. "How is that possible? I mean, I know there are a lot of philosophical differences between different groups and occasional conflicts, but you seem to be hinting at something a lot bigger than that."

"You're right Willow. A lot bigger," Dawn replied. "Bare in mind, a lot of this is guesswork on my part. I'm reading between the lines. I don't know what started the war, but it seems the magic practiced by our mystery group differs in a few ways from most of the magic we've encountered. One big difference is all of their members need to use an external focusing element to control their magic. If I'm translating right, they all use wands."

"You're kidding," Xander spoke for the first time. "Little clichéd isn't it."

"Clichés have to come from somewhere," Faye replied. In her dream Faye remembered the strange man waving what could have been a wand.

"Can we get back to the point," Giles glanced at Xander that then motioned to Dawn. "Continue."

"Thanks Giles. As I was saying, I don't know what started it, but it seems the group, lets call them wand-wielders, started attacking other groups of mages and magic users. For the first few years they had the upper hand. But it turns out their magic has a few rather severe limitations."

Dawn paused and took a sip of water. "The first and most obvious is the dependence on their wands. Take those away and they become just ordinary humans. The second is what Willow has already discovered. Their magic is virtually impossible to conceal. To magic users and others sensitive to magic it sticks out like a sore thumb. Within a few years, the hunters became the hunted. Basically, they were getting slaughtered."

Kennedy spoke up, "I still don't understand how none of this was in the Council's records or why the Slayers weren't involved."

"Not burst any bubbles or crush anybody's ego, but the Slayers are not the end-all-be-all of the supernatural universe. Up until a few years ago there was only one Slayer at a time. She, and by extension the Council, focused her attention on vampires and demons. This was a war fought between humans. One fought in the shadows. There was no reason for the Slayer to get involved. It was outside her and the Council's usual jurisdiction. In other words, they neither noticed or cared."

Kennedy looked a little put out. Willow reached out and patted her hand and then turned her attention back to Dawn, "So these wand wielders as you call them were losing?"

"Yes and badly," Dawn took a moment to glance at her notes. "One estimate I read put the number of dead on both sides at over five thousand over a fifty year period. Almost all of them wand wielders."

"Goddess, that's horrible. What happened to end it?"

"Like I said the war went on for nearly two hundreds years. The wand wielders kept trying to hide, but their numbers were declining and they didn't have the knowledge to hide their strongholds from the outside world. Eventually D'Karsh led the remains of his people to England to find a new sanctuary. He seemed to want to find a way to end the war and," she scanned through her notes, "quote 'find the means to link the sundered traditions.'"

"So DK worked out a truce. Good for him," Xander jumped in.

"He might have tried," Dawn replied, "but he didn't succeed. I think he was trying to find a way to link the differing types of magic. But that is a flat out guess on my part. Whatever he was trying to do he either failed or died before he could complete his work. His student, Rowena Ravenclaw, along with three others, whose names I still don't know, decided to go a different route."

"The enclave and Covenant you mentioned when all this started." Willow said.

"Exactly. My guess is they found a way to isolate their people from the rest of the world and hide their magic from everyone else."

"But it appears from Willow's findings that their magic is just a visible now as it was during the war," Giles joined in. "How do reconcile that fact with the obvious skill needed to construct the barriers we've encountered?"

"Easy," Dawn smiled. "They didn't create the barriers."

"Now you've got my attention," Eric said. "If these wand wielders were at war with everyone, who would agree to construct the wall for them?"

"The Crown," Dawn answered.

"A pointy hat created the barriers?"

Dawn let out a little chuckle. "Not a crown, Xander, The Crown. Actually Robert figured it out."

Robert looked surprised. "While I thank you for the compliment Ms Summers, I don't honestly recall coming up with a solution to who created the barriers."

"Indirectly you did," Dawn responded. "During your meeting with Lady Aydin you asked if the murder involved one of the groups MI5 monitors. She replied yes and that they had an agreement that prevented her from telling you about them. That got me thinking," Dawn looked directly at Giles. "What does Lady Aydin represent?"

Giles paused in thought and then slowly nodded his head. "Her family has served as the primary blood surrogate in mystical matters for the rulers of the British Isles almost since they were first settled. You're saying these wand wielders made a mystical pact with the British Crown for protection. They did not create the barriers, Lady Aydin's family did, backed up by the power and blood of the British Crown."

"Got it one Giles," Dawn smiled. "They've been hiding behind those barriers for twelve hundred years. And it's obvious they're still scared of what's out here because it would seem they mind wipe anybody who gets too close."

Linda looked up. "These enclaves we've found in London hardly seem big enough to support an entire population for twelve hundred years."

"You're assuming London is the only place they are," Dawn replied.

"Just how big is this thing Dawn?" Willow asked.

"Well, the reference I came across to the founding of D'Karsh's sanctuary in England indicated that he built an entire village up in Scotland. It's safe to assume that's the location of the first enclave. Who knows how many have been created since then. I'd say we're dealing with a population of several thousand," Dawn again stared at Giles.

"Yes?" he said.

"This is usually the part where you say 'dear Lord' or 'bloody hell.'"

Giles smiled, "I rather think neither of those phrases quite covers the magnitude of what you have uncovered. The question is how we proceed from here."

"In all honesty Giles, I don't know," Dawn replied. "We have no way of knowing what would happen if we breached the barriers. It could collapse the entire spell, revealing everything or it could do nothing. It might also depend on who breaches the barrier."

"We do know there is a killer hiding behind those walls," Kennedy said.

"True," Robert replied. "But Lady Aydin did say this group has the means the control him. There hasn't been another incident like the one up in Wales in a couple months. Perhaps they stopped him."

"No they didn't," Faye spoke in quiet voice.

"What do mean Faye?" Eric asked.

"I had a Slayer dream," that got everyone's attention. She proceeded to relate the details from her dream.

"Goddess, they've so isolated themselves from the outside world they're killing themselves," Willow was stunned.

"And the mystery man is hastening their demise," Giles added. "We need information. Blindly charging in is not an answer."

"MI5 has the answers we need," Eric said.

"So its break into top-secret government building time," Xander said.

"No," Giles replied. "We have excellent relations with British government. Jeopardizing them is not an option. Robert, you've worked with Lady Aydin's people the longest. Your thoughts."

Robert leaned back is chair. "Lady Aydin has always been willing to share information with us to stop a threat. Even if it violated some agreement they may have had. That incident in Yorkshire last year is a good example. She's also been very clear when can't share information."

"And she did say her agreement prevented her from telling us anything," Dawn added.

Robert nodded, "Yes, beyond anything we already ....," He stopped short, "we already know."

"Robert?"

"She said she couldn't reveal more than we already know."

"So."

"You don't understand," Robert continued to think. "I've been working with Lady Aydin for four years. She's very precise with her language. She doesn't add qualifiers unless she means it. Granted, I'm going out on a limb. But I believe she may be under some kind of mystical compulsion that prevents her from telling us anything about these people."

"That's real thin Robert," Willow said.

"Think about it," Robert replied. "If Dawn's right, these people are terrified of discovery. That would most likely have been even more true when the enclaves were first founded and they were negotiating for protection. They would have insisted on some kind of control over who could learn of their existence. A compulsion spell limiting who the Crown's representatives can tell makes sense."

"Can't argue that logic," Dawn added. "Leaves us in a bit of dilemma. The people best equipped to help us and who would be willing to work with us can't tell us anything even if they wanted to."

"So we're back to breaking into government buildings?" Xander asked.

"No," Giles began to think. "It seems from Faye's dream that the Powers that Be want us to intervene. Willow, begin researching ways to break a compulsion spell. Given its source assume we're dealing with a very powerful spell. Dawn give her whatever assistance she requires and look up any information you can find on how to combat these wand wielders. Robert, schedule a meeting with Lady Aydin and see if you can confirm she is under a compulsion spell."

"How much do I tell her about what we already know?"

"We'll work that out later. It would appear we have a duty to save these people from themselves."

Dawn nodded. "Alright folks you heard the man. Lets get to work."

---

Author's note – I'm so glad that's done. This was easily the hardest chapter to write so far. I apologize if it came across as too info dump. But I needed to get past this point to get to the meat of the story.


	12. Chapter Eleven Target Selection

Chapter Eleven – Target Selection

"Are you certain the Council is aware of the Wizarding world?" Sir Ian looked across the desk at Lady Aydin. They were meeting privately in her office.

"Quite certain," she replied. "The movements of the currents are unmistakable. Added to that Robert called this morning to schedule a meeting regarding 'mutual interests' for next week."

"His little euphemism for matters we knew about but didn't tell them."

"Precisely. Ian is there anyway to determine how much they know?"

"Tricky business Sophia. Their internal security is better than the KGB during its heyday," he replied. "I suppose we could try putting surveillance on their people again. After all it's worked so well for us in the past."

"Come now Ian. As Robert pointed out at the time, they were kind enough to leave our agents with their underwear before dropping them off at Piccadilly Circus."

"Yes, wrapped around their heads, at three o'clock in the morning, in the middle of November," he gave rueful smile. "I suppose it's our own fault for trying to shadow the Summers sisters. No, in this instance we're on their timetable. They'll tell us what they know when they decide to. What I don't understand is how it's possible for them to find the Wizarding world. I thought the protective spell prevented anyone with the ability to detect magic from seeing the barriers or what happens in the enclaves."

"Its blocks all the detection magic my family knew about at the time," Sophia began to think. "We know virtually nothing about the full capabilities of a Slayer. Yes we've observed Slayers in combat and have some sense of the their physical capabilities. But as far other abilities they may possess we know next to nothing. The Council has always guarded information about the Slayer very jealously."

"That makes sense. If memory serves the Council didn't relocate its headquarters to London until sometime in the mid twelve century and they didn't have any relations with the Crown until the fifteenth century so there was no way your family would have known of the Slayer at the time the original spell was cast. Besides with only one Slayer at a time, there was no real reason to find out. I guess we've learned it's possible they can somehow find the enclaves."

"The problem is the Covenant prevents us from telling them anything. And when Riddle starts actively killing again the Slayers will breach the enclaves to find him. They may collapse the entire spell without realizing it. The Wizarding world will be revealed. At the very least they could trigger another supernatural war."

"The good news is they seem to be taking a slow approach and coming to us first. We have time Sophia," Ian tried to be reassuring.

"I suppose so. We just have to hope a solution presents itself. I doubt we can convince them to sit on the sidelines. Especially since we are prevented from telling anything useful about the reasons for the enclaves' existence. Well, we won't know anymore until I meet with Robert." Sophia decided to change the subject. "Have you made any further progress on the political situation at the Ministry?"

"Fudge is convinced Dumbledore is trying to take over. Why, I have no idea," Ian sounded exasperated. "There's a murderer running around loose and that idiot is trying to figure out ways to micro manage the local boarding school. He's also running an active campaign to discredit Dumbledore and the Potter boy. We can assume for the time being the Ministry is effectively useless."

"Why is the Ministry so paranoid about Riddle's return?"

"I don't know. Dumbledore has to have evidence beyond Potter's word. I can't think of a reason why he's not sharing it. Unless he's trying to control the timetable somehow," Ian theorized.

"Elder Sinclair is correct. Dumbledore clearly has his own agenda. We can discount him for now."

"The Elder has his own agenda as well Sophia."

"Of course. But I know what his goals are. Besides his blood is bound by the same magic as mine. Is any good news coming out of the Ministry?"

"The only good information is one of our moles getting promoted into a more senior position. We should start getting very good intelligence on Fudge's activities and access to virtually any area of the Ministry we desire."

"That's one thing. What about Major Chisholm's people?"

Ian nodded his head. "The news is better on that front. Elder Sinclair granted us access to his family's enclave. We've been able to do far more thorough testing of Talerie's and Marshall's new toys. They've been able to confirm our ability to isolate any enclave. Talerie says he will have an effective system for field operations by the end of summer. Marshall has all the electronic gear running. The only downside is a sharp decline in battery life. That should not affect any of our hit and run operations. He's still having problems with communications. Even with that Major Chisholm says his men will be ready to go after targets by September."

"Now all we need are the targets. Randomly hitting Death Eaters will only alert Riddle that someone's after him and he will go deeper underground. We need to be selective. Your thoughts Ian."

"Target Black. His betrayal of the Potters shows he's a senior member of the Death Eater organization. And it's fair to assume he had a significant hand in restoring Riddle. Might even have been the reason he escaped prison. If we can capture him he should have all the information we need to get Riddle."

"How do we find him?"

"Shacklebolt's team operates as an independent task force. They don't file reports with the other Auror's. They report directly to Minister Fudge. Our agent in the clerk's office was never able to get us the file. Our newly promoted agent should be able to get us a copy along with any other information we need on Black's background. Cromwell believes with that as a starting point he can find Black."

"The Auror's have been looking for two years. Is Jerry really that certain?"

"He was a detective for five years. And don't forget, he found us while investigating that string of vampire murders," Ian smiled. "Man marched directly into my office and demanded to know everything I knew about vampires and why the government was covering them up. I had no choice but to hire him on the spot. Besides, he views the Auror's actions or rather inactions about the Diggory boy's murder as an insult to decent coppers everywhere. This is a personal opportunity to show them how a true detective hunts down the bad guy. Trust me, if Black's to be found, Jerry's the man to do it."

"Very well," Sophia replied. "We take Black out first. Then Riddle."


	13. Chapter Twelve Finding Hope

Chapter Twelve – Finding Hope

For the first time in many years Robert O'Leary was actually nervous about a meeting with Lady Aydin. In the two weeks since Dawn's revelations six other Slayers had reported dreams similar to Faye's. Two, not unexpectedly were based in London. The other four, however, were on freelance teams working in various areas on the continent. From the imagery in their dreams they found several other enclaves. Several in Paris and a large area in Albania that could fit a small village.

Giles sent out an order that under no circumstances was a Slayer to penetrate these enclaves until they had better information on the people living inside them.

It was becoming clear the Powers that Be wanted the Slayers involved in whatever conflict was happening between the various groups of wand wielders. Convincing Lady Aydin and MI5 to give them the information they needed was critical. Hopefully Willow's method for determining whether a compulsion spell was placed on Lady Aydin would work.

Dawn also acted on her suspicion about the location of the first enclave in Scotland, dispatching two Slayers to make charter flights crisscrossing the area where Dawn figured D'Karsh settled. They managed to find a nearly one thousand square kilometer area of Scotland cut off behind one of the barriers. Everything inside was covered by a powerful concealment spell. One that was completely invisible to the best detection spells Willow and her team could throw at it.

From that information Dawn was forced to revise up her estimates of the wand wielding population to the tens of thousands. She also concluded that groups had obviously migrated back to Europe over the twelve hundred years of their isolation. Robert was fairly certain her estimates were still too low.

Thus far the Council had maintained only passive surveillance on the enclaves discovered in London. Noting people moving in and out the entrances but not following them. Many seemed to wear the same robes as the shopkeeper in Buckland's. The number of people using the entrances they found was too low to account for the numbers that had to be inside. The current theory was that the wand wielders had some kind of mystical means to move between their enclaves. It made sense. Every time they left the enclaves they risked discovery so they obviously developed alternatives.

It was the secrecy surrounding the group that made Robert nervous. It was one thing to point out a dangerous demon cult that MI5 missed. It was quite another to come in with evidence of what had to be the British government's biggest secret regarding the supernatural world. He had no idea how Lady Aydin would react. After hours of discussion the Council finally came up with a strategy for the meeting. Shock and awe. Give Lady Aydin no chance to deny the truth.

----

Lady Aydin was equally nervous about the upcoming meeting. The principle function of the Covenant was to keep the Wizarding world isolated from other magic groups. Her belief that the Slayers had discovered that world held very dangerous implications.

She truly hoped they only stumbled on something small. One of the Wizarding estates in London perhaps or an odd magic wielder they'd never encountered before. Something small that she could explain away with ease. Her own talents told her it was foolish hope. But just maybe she would get lucky.

She was reasonably certain the Slayers had not penetrated any of the larger enclaves. At least the Ministry had not come running to her about mystery muggles assaulting Aurors stupid enough to try and wipe a Slayer's memory. And since there were no smoking craters where an enclave used to be, she could assume no one had tried to mess with Willow Rosenberg's memory.

MI5 had no real idea just how powerful Willow Rosenberg was. But many of the magic groups they talked with spoke of her with mixtures of fear, respect and outright awe. That made her someone to tread lightly around.

The intercom buzzed and again Lady Aydin met Robert O'Leary at the door.

"Robert," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

Robert took his usual chair in front of her desk and waited for her to get seated. "Lady Aydin, we've encountered some rather strange phenomenon here in London. We were wondering if perhaps you or MI5 could shed some light on them."

"Of course Robert. You know we have always been willing share information when it does not conflict with any existing agreements."

Robert smiled. Here's where the fun begins. He took a folded map out of his satchel and laid it out on the desk. "We've discovered that the areas marked out on this map are all surrounded by mystical barriers."

Lady Aydin looked at the map and froze. Virtually every enclave in London was marked. She saw Diagon Alley, the Ministry, St Mungo's and many of the smaller estates. She felt the binding magic of the Covenant. She simply could not tell him the truth. So how to find a plausible lie to satisfy the Council. She decided to delay. Not a good strategy but it was the best she had.

"How did you discover these barriers?"

"That's unimportant now," Robert could see the tension on her face. He glimpsed down at the ring Willow gave him. Nothing yet. He needed to keep pushing. "The real shocker was encountering these same barriers elsewhere."

He proceeded to pull out a couple of more maps. One showing the prime enclave in Scotland and then a map showing locations found in Paris.

Lady Aydin was stunned. How could they have discovered so much in such a short period of time? The binding magic left her speechless.

Robert continued to press. "There are people living inside these enclaves. They use wands to focus their magic by the way. We know members of this community killed the guard in Wales and were involved a series of murders going back at least twenty years. We know a powerful mage used the Dagger of D'Karsh to revive himself after thirteen years. This killer and his followers are threatening to destroy their world and that destruction is seeping into ours."

Lady Aydin just stared at him. How? It simply wasn't possible for them to learn so much. The binding magic continued to hold her speechless. She could do nothing to confirm or deny what Robert was saying. Finally she found her voice.

"Robert, this situation does not involve the Slayers," she knew that wasn't going to be enough.

"That is where you are wrong," he replied. "We know we are needed to help save these people. We also know that around twelve hundred years ago your family crafted these barriers for them to hide behind. This group was involved in some kind of shadow war with other magic groups. They came to England for protection," he again glimpsed at the ring and saw the gem begin to faintly glow. "As part of this Covenant your family agreed to be placed under a compulsion spell that prevents you from revealing the existence of these enclaves."

"Robert I don't know where you are getting you information but I assure you this situation is under control," she didn't believe her own words but it was all the magic allowed her to say.

Robert held up his hand. She saw a ring. The gem was glowing brightly. "What is that?" she asked.

"Ms Rosenberg created it," Robert replied. "We've been examining some of these peoples' charms and we've encountered examples of the spells they use to wipe peoples' memories. This was created to detect that kind of magic. We assumed if I pushed you hard enough with the truth the spell would have to push back and therefore become easily detected. Hence the glowing gem."

"Impressive," it was the only thing she could say.

"So here's the dilemma as we see it," Robert leaned back in chair. "There is killer and his followers loose inside these enclaves. The people charged with controlling him are either not able or not willing to the job to stop them. That means somebody outside the enclaves is going to have to step in and do it for them. For reasons I won't discuss now, we know we're needed to stop this killer. But we can't just go charging in without potentially disrupting the protective magic. The implications of which we don't know."

Robert paused for a second to collect his thoughts. "You on the other hand have the information we need and we suspect would like allies. The only problem is you can't tell us what we need to know. Have we guessed right so far?"

"I really can't say Robert," which was as close to a confirmation as she could give.

"We looking for a way to free you from those restrictions," Robert replied.

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

At that Robert let out a genuinely warm smile. "Sophia, if there is one thing I have learned in the last five years it is this. The word impossible holds no real meaning for the Scoobies. Oh yes, they will listen politely to what you say. Nod their heads at your explanations for why something cannot be done. And then they will just go and do it anyway."

Robert got up from his chair. "I believe I have taken up enough of your time Lady Aydin. I understand you have a great deal to think about right now. I will just show myself out. When you decide you want our help just give us a call," he turned to leave and stopped short. "One other thing. We have a picture of the man we're looking for in the enclaves." Robert reached into his satchel and pulled out a picture that represented a compilation of the man seen in the Slayers' dreams.

He set it down on Lady Aydin's desk then turned and left.

Lady Aydin found herself looking down a picture of Tom Riddle. It was a less exaggerated image then the one provided by Lovat. Probably more accurate. The Council even knew the face of their enemy.

For one of the few times in her life Lady Aydin found herself literally paralyzed and unable to think a coherent thought. She wondered if the Council even knew what it had accomplished in learning so much about the Wizarding world. Individual enclaves had been breached from time to time over the centuries. Individual or small groups of wizards caught outside the enclaves. But those instances were easy to control and explain away.

The Council had detailed information on the locations of dozens of enclaves and had managed to determine that they were all connected by the same root magic. They learned of the Covenant and its connection to the Crown and her family. Someone from the Council had to find the common threads among dozens if not hundreds of disparate sources. Many of those sources in the possession of groups that, prior to their contact with new Council, would never have agreed to share such information with outside groups.

Lady Aydin knew her own mistake in dealing with this new Council. She kept viewing it through old lenses. She still saw it as a small group devoted to the Slayer and one part of the war. A group that jealously guarded its secrets and did not work well others. The new Council was far larger and far more willing and active in forming alliances between various magic communities.

What they've done here should have been impossible. And yet they did it. Maybe they could find a way out of the Gordian knot the Covenant placed her in. The knowledge that only real leverage she had over the Wizarding world was destroying their protections. A simply unacceptable option.

For the first time since learning of Riddle's return Lady Aydin felt that this could end in something other then mass slaughter in the Wizarding world and magic war on a level never seen before. She found hope.


	14. Chapter Thirteen Scenes from July and A...

Chapter Thirteen – Scenes from July and August

"So you really think this negotiation in Indonesia will work?" Giles spoke into the phone.

"Yes I do," Buffy replied. "It's not that much different then the informal truces we've set up with the more peaceful demon clans around Cleveland."

"Buffy what's being proposed goes well beyond a simple truce," Giles couldn't believe Buffy was serious about this. "You are discussing a formal treaty with a demon clan. A binding agreement."

"Come on Giles. It makes sense. They want a peaceful place to settle; there are lots of uninhabited islands around the Hellmouth. We agree to leave them alone; they agree to stay clear of humans. They'll even agree to provide us with information about the movements of other demons around the Hellmouth and if necessary help police the local population. Even Xander thinks it's worth exploring."

This was another one of those times when Giles was certain Quentin and every other former member of the old Council were spinning in their graves. "I don't feel comfortable with this idea Buffy."

"Giles we're not going to rush off and sign some piece of paper in blood tomorrow," Buffy actually sounded amused. "The clan just put out some informal feelers. We can discuss the possibilities in more detail at the next board meeting. This isn't going to be resolved over the phone. Besides, Indonesia isn't why I called."

"Very well," Giles replied. "Why did you call?"

"Five more Slayers reported dreams about the enclaves you've discovered and those wand wielders that live inside," Buffy said. "That makes seventeen so far. I've started the process of reassigning them to London but it's going to put some holes on our current teams."

"You crafted the basic rule Buffy. The dreams are a clear indication of who needs to be involved."

"I know Giles. But I need you warn Kennedy that I'm going to pull out some of her team to fill in the gaps."

"She won't be happy."

"I know, but the London Slayers do serve as the basic reserve for European operations. God I'm starting to sound like Xander. Besides she'll be getting a dozen new Slayers to yell at. That should keep her happy."

"Alright I'll suffer her wrath this time."

---

"We should have the kinks worked out in a couple of weeks. Once the wards work consistently all you need to do is place one of the crystals at the fulcrum point of the enclave's protective barrier," Talerie explained. "Once that's done the enclave is completely isolated. No one will be able to apparate, floo or use portkeys to get in or out."

"How long can the spell be maintained?"

"Depends on the size of the enclave. Figure around twenty to thirty minutes for the estates."

"Wish I had these thirteen years ago," Major Chisholm said. "That fourth bastard wouldn't have gotten away."

---

"There's the guy who went in last week," Faye said.

"Man has no fashion sense," replied Eric. "I think it's safe to say there is definitely another connection between the enclaves. There is no way that guy stayed in that place five days. Have you sensed any kind of link?"

"No, the enclaves seem totally cut off from the outside world except for the entrances. Hard to believe they can use magic to get around though. Teleportation is supposed to be a pretty advanced kind of magic. Maybe there's something underground?"

"Possible. I'll have research pull up a complete map of the London Underground to see if anything passes close to the barriers. Sloppy of us not to check sooner."

---

"How much longer till I get the file Director Buford?"

"Patience Jerry. I'm not sending out any tasking orders to our mole until he's had a chance to get better acclimated to his new position."

"Alright, I'll start working up a psyche profile with the information we have now. Black has to be a serious head case to betray his best friend the way he did. I want in on the interrogation when we bring him in."

"Of course."

---

"So Dawn, what do you think?"

"I like it Willow," Dawn replied. "You're right, just blowing the compulsion spell away would probably cause more harm than good. I want to do a little more research on Sir John before you talk to him though."

"I understand. But I really think he holds the key to removing the compulsion without risking damage to the rest of the protective spell."

----

"I had never of a Slayer before today Lady Aydin."

"I'm not surprised Elder. As I said, up until a couple of years ago only one existed at a time and she never had any reason to interact with the Wizarding world."

"To have done what you claim they have done. To undo a magic that has existed since before the dawn of history. To have learned so much of my world in only a few short months. Such things are simply impossible."

"As was pointed out to me at the time. The word impossible means different things to different people."

"Then you truly believe they are capable of finding a solution to the binding magic of the Covenant."

"Yes I do."

"I am reminded of what Micah told me the last time I spoke to him," the Elder paused. "Ah, he was a worthy man. I mean no disrespect Lady Aydin, you have served well and done great credit to your Uncle, but Micah was a man of unique insight."

"I know. I can only hope to live up to a portion of his legacy. What did he tell you?"

"I guess this would have been a week after what happened in Sunnydale. He told me I needed to forget all the old truths I cling to. That the world was now different and what I once held as impossible was now possible," the Elder seemed lost in thought for few moments. "To my shame I had discounted his words at the time. But hearing your tale today and seeing all of this," he waved his hand over the maps Robert had left behind. "You have given much to think about."

"It's rare to see you in an introspective mood Elder."

"At my age one learns to hide such things."

"Will you be at the estate tomorrow for the final testing?"

"Unfortunately no. A full session of the Wizengamot has been called for tomorrow morning. Cornelius is going to try something foolish."


	15. Chapter Fourteen A Morning's Entertainm...

Chapter Fourteen – A Morning's Entertainment  
  
Elder Sinclair wore his formal robes. Unlike many of his peers he preferred a simple black robe for formal sessions of Wizengamot. One very much like those worn by muggle judges. One that radiated a certain dignity he felt should attend to any meeting of Wizengamot.  
  
Of course nothing about this joke of a session was dignified. Cornelius had called a full session of Wizengamot to hear a case of underage magic use. Was he so stupid as to assume this action portrayed him as strong rather than a weak-minded fool? Even if he succeeded all he would accomplish was to demonstrate his fear of the Potter boy and by extension Albus.  
  
He watched Cornelius with care. He looked pleased that the accused was late. Of course he was making noise about how he had informed everyone of the last minute change in plans. Something the Elder knew was a lie. Not that Cornelius' obvious attempts at subterfuge would matter.  
  
The chamber door opened and Elder Sinclair took the opportunity to study the Potter boy. His messy hair obscured the scar on his forehead. What about the child would cause Albus to be so interested in him? Perhaps it was time to revisit his studies on the curses of Vada Koreesh.  
  
The doors opened again and Albus Dumbledore strode into the room. He always did enjoy making an entrance. From the first it was obvious who really controlled this session. Cornelius could barely manage a coherent sentence. The Elder leaned back and watched as Albus played with the Minister.  
  
Learning that Dementors had attacked Potter was a surprise. He turned his attention to Dolores Umbridge. Idiot woman. Of course she did not know the dangers of allowing such creatures to roam outside the enclaves. But the action itself was still inexcusable. The Elder made a mental note to deal with her later.  
  
Summoning a fully formed Patronous was impressive. Although it spoke as much for the teacher as the student. Forcing Lupin to resign was a mistake although one typical of his people's more silly prejudices. Still the Potter boy had talent. But not enough to justify Albus' interest. He even kept the boy monitored outside of school.  
  
The Potter clan was an old one among wizarding kind but not linked to the key bloodlines. The mother was muggle born however. There was no information in the Ministry about her background. The Elder decided to ask his allies to do some research into the Evan's family.  
  
The session came to a close and the Elder voted to acquit. He made his way out the chamber, leaning heavily on his cane and moving slowly. He received the same hostile look from Cornelius as everyone else who voted with Albus. He chose to ignore the insult.  
  
After he left the chamber the Elder went to one of the small side rooms. He found Albus Dumbledore waiting for him. After closing the door and setting a quick charm to prevent eavesdropping turned and let out a slight chuckle.  
  
"Waited here for three hours. Cornelius is just idiot enough to believe that."  
  
"I could hardly tell him of your warning. Though I must admit Edgar, I was surprised to receive your owl regarding the change of time and venue," Albus replied.  
  
"Cornelius was trying to deny me a good morning's entertainment. Watching you make the fool of him is one of the few pleasures still remaining to me," the Elder moved slowly into the room.  
  
"Why do you insist on using that cane Edgar?"  
  
"You took the role of kindly grandfather. I decided to take the role of bitter old man," he stood up to his full height and tossed the cane into air, catching it at the mid-point and giving it a twirl. "The cane makes a wonderful prop. Wouldn't you agree Albus?"  
  
"Yes it does. My offer still stands Edgar," Albus changed the subject. "You know I am telling the truth. Voldemort has returned. We must stand united if we are to defeat him."  
  
"I already gave you my answer Albus," the Elder's voice grew bitter. "I will not bind myself to your Fidelous."  
  
"It is the only way Edgar."  
  
"Yes I suppose it is. Unite with the great Albus Dumbledore. The one man Voldemort fears. Everyone knows that while he was at Hogwarts Voldemort never dared attack the school," the Elder began to walk the perimeter of the room. "It's odd that no one seems to realize that young Tom never actually had a reason to attack Hogwarts. So perhaps it wasn't fear on his part but rather simple prudence."  
  
Albus began circling the room keeping a fixed distance between himself and the Elder. "You know the true danger we face. The balance must be maintained."  
  
"Yes of course. Your precious balance. Tell me Albus; do your followers know the truth about what they are fighting and soon to be dying for?"  
  
"Thing are never that simple Edgar."  
  
"Meaning no. We no longer teach our people the truth. They actually believe the fanciful tales from 'Hogwarts a History.' No one asks questions. Not that they are able to."  
  
"There is no reason for them to know the full truth Edgar. We protect them and the world."  
  
"We protect ourselves Albus. I rather think the world can take care of itself. But we are getting distracted by old arguments. We should be focusing on current events," he stopped circling and stared directly into Dumbledore's eyes. "Tell me Albus, why is the boy so important to you?"  
  
"I will not say until you agree to work with us to end Voldemort's threat," Albus replied matching the Elder's stare.  
  
"As I said Albus. I will not be bound by your Fidelous."  
  
"Your skills and knowledge would be invaluable in aiding our people Edgar. Have you grown so bitter over the past that you're willing to see them destroyed?"  
  
"Just because I choose not to bind myself to you Albus, does not mean I choose to do nothing. It is possible for others to fight evil without you pulling the strings. Although I know why you want my aid so badly," he let out a smile. "Yes, I suspect you could use someone of intelligence and insight to shore up your ranks. Most of your followers likely believe that the only reason Voldemort has not yet struck is because the great Dumbledore has learned of his return."  
  
The Elder resumed his pacing around the room. "Yes, they believe he botched his plan and with Potter's escape you learned of his restoration early. Again, it does not occur to people that you've known of young Tom's eventual revival for some time and had already begun planning. And they don't realize that Tom is intelligent enough to know that the moment Potter disappeared you would implement those plans. Tom is a gifted strategist. He planned on you learning of his return. If he was as cowardly and foolish as they believe he would not be a threat."  
  
"Tell me Albus, have you already re-inserted Severus back into the Death Eater ranks?" again the Elder smiled. "I would advise taking any information you get from him with a grain of salt. Tom will use him to feed you false information."  
  
"I am not that much the fool Edgar. I know the limitations of trying to infiltrate the Death Eaters."  
  
"My apologies Albus."  
  
"Edgar I will ask you one last time. For the sake of our old friendship. You must join with us. It is the only way to protect our people. Voldemort must not be allowed to destroyed the balance."  
  
"A balance that never existed Albus. Voldemort is the product of the cage we created for our people. Even if you destroy him another will take his place."  
  
"Now who is revisiting old arguments? Keeping the magics separate is the only way Edgar. You know that is true. No other solution is possible."  
  
Edgar smiled again. "Someone recently reminded me that it is time to stop clinging to our old truths."  
  
"You can not accomplish anything without allies Edgar. You need us."  
  
"Perhaps Albus. But I will not be bound to you," with that the Elder turned back towards to door and made to leave. He paused briefly.  
  
"For the sake of our old friendship Albus I will leave you with one thing. A muggle phrase I have learned. One you would do well to ponder. 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.'"  
  
The Elder opened door and leaning back on his cane, slowly left the room.  
  
Albus Dumbledore shook his head in sadness, took out a portkey and returned to his school.


	16. Chapter Fifteen The Man in Black

Chapter Fifteen – The Man in Black

"I take it Kennedy was a little annoyed about not being asked to come on this little excursion?"

"No," Willow answered. "She understands the reasons. Faye was the first Slayer to have a dream about these wand wielders. That gives her the strongest claim. Besides Kennedy has to get ready for the new Slayers coming in and figure out which members of her team to let Buffy pull out."

Eric shrugged his shoulders and returned to navigating the car through the countryside. Faye sat in the passenger seat studying the view. In the backseat Dawn and Willow returned to discussing the upcoming meeting with former Brigadier General Sir John Graham.

Eric admitted to himself being a little nervous about the upcoming meeting. From the briefing he knew that Sir John was one of, if not the senior mystic in Britain. Dawn found evidence of his involvement in countering some the Nazi's more esoteric plans. He also had a hand in reforming British intelligence after the war and was most likely responsible for the creation of the Special Projects division of MI5 and formalizing the position long held by Lady Aydin's family.

He certainly knew about the Council. When they relocated to England in the twelve-century the Council sought permission from the representative of England's old religion, the Man in Black. It was he who granted the Council leave to establish their headquarters in London. Sir John was this generation's most senior Man in Black whose traditions dated back before recorded history.

Willow paused in her conversation with Dawn. She felt a brush against her shields. Nothing threatening. Just a probe. As they approached Oakwood she sensed the powerful wards surrounding the estate. She was not surprised to find them even more powerful then the wards she placed around the Council's headquarters.

Eric maneuvered the car through the massive iron gate at the estate's entrance. Flanking the gate were two stone lions. As they crossed the threshold Willow could sense the full power contained behind the wards. Willow nodded her head and turned her attention back to Dawn.

"Yes, he has the power to do what we require," she said. "All we need to do is ask for his aid."

"You're sure Willow?" Dawn asked.

"She's sure," Faye replied. She also felt the power of this place. There was nothing ominous about it. Nothing that called forth the Slayer. Just a feeling of peace.

They rounded the last turn in the long driveway and pulled up to the manor. An elderly man waited at the end of stairs leading up to the entrance. He looked to Dawn like the classic gentleman's gentleman. Eric pulled the car to a stop and the four got out. Willow took the lead.

"Good afternoon," she said. "I assume you're Linton. We spoke on the phone. I'm Willow Rosenberg."

"Good afternoon Ms Rosenberg," he replied. "Sir John is expecting you. If you will follow me around the house, he will be meeting you in the Gazebo."

With that Linton led them around the manor house to a well maintained garden. He then led them to the entrance of a hedge maze. They could just make out the white top of a gazebo at the center of the maze.

"Sir John and Miss Caitlin are in the gazebo. He reminds you to keep to the right."

Willow nodded her head and reached out with her senses. The maze was configured for magic. Designed to both the shield the rituals done inside from outside observers and prevent the power drawn up from those rituals from escaping. She felt the correct path through the maze and turned back to the others.

"Follow me guys." She then proceeded to lead them directly through the path of the maze. After a few minutes she made a final turn and they entered a cobblestone courtyard. At its center was a magnificent gazebo.

A woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, stepped out the gazebo and greeted them, "Hello, my name is Caitlin Jordan," She said. "Sir John is my great-grandfather. If you will just follow me we can do all the formal introductions at once."

She led them into the gazebo. There they saw a man sitting comfortably on a bench. Dawn knew from her research that Sir John was at least 98 years old. From his appearance she would have guessed him to be much younger. He stood up and smiled at the approaching group. He reached out to shake Willow's hand.

"Ms Rosenberg. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

Willow took the offered hand. "It is pleasure to meet you as well Sir John. If may introduce my companions. This is Dawn Summers, head of the Council's research department. Faye Haughton and Eric Travers."

Sir John shook each person's hand as Willow introduced them. He paused when he reached Eric.

"Mr. Travers. I met your grandfather on several occasions. My condolences for your loss."

"Thank you sir," Eric replied.

Sir John then motioned for everyone to take a seat at the table in the center of the gazebo. "Now that the introductions are over. I insist that you all call me Gray. I know much of your accomplishments over the years. Please tell me how I may be of assistance."

Willow took her seat across from Sir John. "We recently discovered a group of mages living in England and elsewhere in Europe. They are hidden behind protective barriers. Barriers crafted with the magic of the Crown. Here are the locations we have discovered in London." She laid out a copy of the map marking all the enclaves discovered in London.

She continued. "These people are facing a great threat and we wish to aid them. But in order to aid them we need the help of the Crown's representative. Unfortunately she is under a spell that prevents her from telling us anything about those who live within these enclaves. We seek your assistance in removing that spell so we can learn what we need to know in order to help save these people."

"Ah," Gray leaned back. "So you have discovered the Wizarding world."

Eric reacted with surprise. "You know of these wand wielders?"

"Yes," came the reply. "Such a spell could not have been cast on this isle without the permission of the old Gods."

Dawn smiled. "That's ten pounds you owe me Willow."

"We'll add it to the tally Dawn. I'm still ahead for the year."

It was Caitlin's turn to be surprised. "You made a bet on whether or not grandfather would know of the Wizarding world."

"It helps keep research sessions interesting," Dawn replied. "We only bet on the small stuff, never on anything related to an apocalypse."

Eric leaned over to Caitlin. "Trust me, we've all learned its better not to ask. Just nod your head and go along with it." Eric turned his attention back to Gray. "Can you tell us what you know about these mages?"

Gray looked amused at the exchange. He shifted his attention. "I know very little save for the reasons why the Crown granted the wizards their petition. Tell me do you know why the barriers were created?"

"Your show Dawn."

"We know there was a shadow war between these wizards as you call them and several other magic groups. A war they were losing. They came to England for protection. Protection the Crown granted them. As for the reasons for the war or why the crown agreed to provide them with protection, that we don't know," Dawn shrugged her shoulders.

"Much of the history of those days has been lost," Gray began. "What little I know tells me that the agreement between the Crown and the Wizarding world struck a very delicate balance. The magic practiced by the wizards is not the same as the magic practiced by those outside the walls."

"There are many varieties of magic. Your tradition is quite different from my own but I can still sense the same roots beneath them," Willow replied.

"I do not mean that it is simply of a differing tradition," Gray answered. "It interacts with the world much differently than the magic you and I practice. It was believed to be at odds with our magic. That conflict was inevitable unless the two varieties were kept separate. Such a conflict would be destructive to both sides. Your history may say that the wizards were losing but remember it was a history written by those on one side of the conflict. Written by those who took the disappearance of the wizards as a sign of victory."

Gray paused for a moment. "I have seen the Crown's account. Both sides suffered losses. Losses that threatened the balance of magic in the world. If the conflict had continued many of those who are key to keeping this world safe from threats from demons and the forces of darkness would have been caught up in it and destroyed or distracted from their true duties. Other evils would have been able to enter this world unopposed. If you will recall the latter part of the first millennium was a very active period for demonic forces. There is a reason it is often called the dark ages."

"I'm not certain what you mean Gray," Dawn seemed puzzled. "Why is it necessary to keep them selves so isolated now? It's been almost twelve centuries."

"As I said it is believed that conflict between the two is inevitable. We would perceive in their magic a threat and they would perceive the same in our magic. The two groups cannot co-exist in peace. It was for this reason the old Gods granted leave for the spell to be done and the barriers to be crafted."

"That's ridiculous," Dawn said. "War is not inevitable. These people are facing a threat now. People are dying now."

"I understand your frustration Ms Summers," Gray said. "Micah faced much the same dilemma thirteen years ago. But the barriers are all that keep the magic separate. Something decreed by the Old Gods."

"We're not asking to destroy the barriers," Willow joined in. "We're asking for the knowledge needed to help these people. A way to remove the spell on the Crown's representative so she can provide us with knowledge to stop a killer without destroying the barriers. Otherwise we will be forced to go in blind."

"I know the Wizarding world has its own means for controlling threats," Gray replied. "They have managed to keep the balance for twelve hundred years. Whatever you may have stumbled across I can assure you there is no reason for you to get involved. Unless there is a clear sign from the Masters of the Inner Planes I have no reason to aid you."

"That's why they brought me along," Faye spoke for the first time.

"Ms Haughton."

"Just Faye please. As you might have guessed I am a Slayer."

"Yes."

"One the powers of a Slayer is visionary dreams. A month ago I had a dream about these wizards. Since then eighteen of my sisters have shared similar dreams," She looked Gray directly in the eyes. "We are being called by the Powers that Be to help these people. It is a call a Slayer cannot ignore. One way or another we are going after this killer. The only question is how many obstacles are going to get in our way."

Gray took a moment to study the young women in front of him. She had changed from the quiet unassuming women who had first entered the gazebo. One who was content to let the others speak. Now he saw the Slayer in her eyes. A power even more ancient then his own.

"Tell me of these dreams."

Faye proceeded to describe the dream she had the day Dawn announced her findings. She then described several of the dreams the other Slayers had reported. When she finished Gray nodded his head.

"My apologies for misunderstanding your intent. It would seem the old Gods are seeking a change in the balance. I will of course assist you in any way that I can."


	17. Chapter Sixteen Suprise Meetings

Chapter Sixteen –Surprise Meetings

"My Lady. We will be arriving at Oakwood in five minutes."

"Thank you Monty," Lady Aydin replied and then turned her attention back to the phone. "Ian, we'll be arriving shortly ... No I don't know why he wants to see me ... Yes I know we have much to do, but one does not lightly refuse an invitation from Sir John ... I know our resources are stretched thin dealing with matters in Wizarding world ... If he asks for help in some manner we can hardly say no ... Ian I really must be going. Have a pleasant evening."

Lady Aydin hung up her cell phone and switched it off. The invitation from Sir John had caught her off guard. She hoped it did not signal some new problem on the horizon. Special Projects had already been forced to divert most of its available resources to finding Black and preparing for a confrontation with Riddle. They really could not afford to get caught up in any more firestorms.

As the Bentley entered Oakwood estate she felt the familiar presence of power that permeated the grounds. Sir John's family had spent centuries involved in the esoteric arts and steeped in the old ways. The grounds reflected that tradition. It had been over a year since she last visited with Sir John. At his age he did not socialize much outside his chosen peers.

The Bentley pulled up to the manor and Montgomery let Lady Aydin out of the car. They made their way up to the entrance and Montgomery pulled the cord to ring the bell. Linton answered the door in his usual prompt manner.

"Lady Aydin if you will accompany me, Sir John will meet you in the library with his other guests. Montgomery, feel free to pull the Bentley around to the carriage house, I will join you shortly."

Montgomery nodded his head and took his leave to deal with the car. Lady Aydin followed Linton to the manor's library. As they entered the library Linton announced her coming. "Sir, Lady Sophia Aydin."

Sir John rose from his chair and crossed the floor to greet her. "Sophia, always a pleasure. I believe you have already met most of my other guests." He made a gesture with his other hand and Lady Aydin stopped short at the entrance, surprised by who she saw there.

She recognized Rupert Giles of course. Seated next to him was Dawn Summers. In the chairs opposite them were Willow Rosenberg and Eric Travers. There was a young woman standing just behind Eric Travers that she did not recognized.

"So that's the look Robert was talking about," Dawn smiled. "He's right, a camera really couldn't do it justice."

Giles gave Dawn a look then turned his attention back to Lady Aydin. "Sophia. A pleasure to see you again. Robert sends his apologies for not being here but his son has a football match this evening and he decided to attend. His duties with the Council give him few opportunities to spend time with his family."

"I understand Rupert. I must confess though, I am rather surprised to see all of you here," Lady Aydin looked over at Faye. "I don't believe I've met the young lady."

Faye smiled, walked over and held out her hand, "Faye Haughton, I prefer just Faye. It's nice to meet you Lady Aydin."

"A pleasure to meet you as well Faye. Please call me Sophia. I assume you are a Slayer."

"Yes. Eric's my watcher."

Lady Aydin raised an eyebrow at that comment and turned her attention back to Eric. "Eric I thought you would be running one of the field offices."

"Man's gotta walk before he can fly," Eric replied. "Working in the field is good experience and the lack of such experience was one of the major flaws in the old Council's leadership. Besides taking orders from Faye keeps me on my toes."

"Not that he does a good job of following those orders," Faye teased back.

"If I may interrupt before these two launch into one of their more tiresome routines," Giles said. "Perhaps we should move on to the reason for this meeting."

"Thank you Rupert," Sir John said. "If you will take a seat Sophia, I will explain why I asked you here this evening."

"Given your other guests I suspect this has something to do with the conversation I had with Robert a short while ago," Lady Aydin took a seat next to Sir John.

"Perceptive as always Sophia," Sir John replied. "Yes the Council came to me for help in removing the compulsion spell that prevents you from revealing what you know of the Wizarding world to people not party to the Covenant."

Lady Aydin again looked surprised. "You seem to know a great deal more then should be possible Gray."

"Your family crafted a remarkable spell Sophia," Sir John replied. "But it would never have been possible without the consent of the Old Gods. The senior members of my line have known of the existence of the Wizarding world from the first. We cannot see past the barriers to learn what is happening within the enclaves but we know they are there and the reasons they were crafted."

"And what do you intend to do with that knowledge?" asked Lady Aydin.

"Ordinarily nothing," Sir John glanced at Faye. "But the Council recently informed me of a change in the situation. Willow and Dawn have also discovered a viable means to remove the compulsion spell that was placed on you."

Lady Aydin felt a sudden desire to leave but found she could not stand up. Sir John studied her for a moment and then looked over at Willow who nodded her head.

"I apologize Sophia," Sir John favored her with a smile, "but we cannot allow you to leave just yet. We suspected, or rather Dawn suspected, that the spell would have a few protective measures built in. That is why I did not inform you of the reason for this meeting or tell you who else would be attending."

Willow took over the explanation, "When I sensed the spell grow active," she looked a little embarrassed, "I sorta stopped you from being able to move. Sorry."

Lady Aydin felt the truth of what Sir John was saying. It was the binding magic that made her want to leave. She found herself speaking, "I really must insist that you allow me leave Gray."

"I am sorry Sophia," he said. "But I am certain you would approve if you were able to speak for yourself."

"You don't have the power to change things Gray."

"Sophia if removing the compulsion was simply a question of power, then Willow could remove it with ease. For that matter, I could as well," Sir John glanced over at Willow. "Although not as easily."

Dawn joined in. "The problem is the compulsion spell is tied to rest of the Covenant. Removing it risks damaging the rest of the spell. Either weakening or destroying the protections around the enclaves. So Willow decided to go a different route. We didn't seek out Sir John for his power but rather for his position. The senior Man in Black can render judgment on actions taken by the Crown. At least in matters related to the mystical."

"Although to exercise that authority I require a valid petition," Sir John looked at Faye. "Something I was rather surprised to discover they had. I suspect many old men in my position are going to be spending the next few years having to cope with a very different world than the one we have come to know."

"What are you going to do?" Lady Aydin asked.

"We intend to petition the Powers to grant a modification to the Covenant freeing you from the restrictions placed on you," Giles Answered. "Gray, I believe Caitlin should have everything prepared in the Gazebo by now."

"You are correct Rupert. Now is the time to begin."


	18. Chapter Seventeen Master of the Inner P...

Chapter Seventeen – Master of the Inner Planes

Lady Aydin found herself in an unfamiliar position. She was in the gazebo (Willow had floated her through the maze). But the gazebo was no longer in the garden. Gray had reconfigured the maze into a pattern she did not recognize. After everyone was seated he somehow managed to transport the entire gazebo, and everyone in it, to the Astral Plane.

She needed to revise up her estimates of Sir John's powers. It was one thing to separate one's mind and spirit from their physical body and enter the Astral, it was quite another to segment an entire chunk of reality from the physical world and transport it into the Astral Plane.

Willow had loosened the restrictions on her movements and she could move her head to examine her environment. Everything had a faint glow. A mist obscured her vision. She observed the people around her. Both Willow and Gray gave off powerful blue glows that seemed to interact with mist, both drawing power from it and controlling it. Rupert, Eric and Caitlin all gave off similar blue glows, but far less powerful than Willow's and Gray's.

But Faye and Dawn drew her full attention. Faye glowed a bright red. Lady Aydin saw the power flowing off of her. Faye looked even more predatory. The Slayer was a creature born to the hunt.

Dawn's glow was predominately Green. But Lady Aydin could see streaks of red dance across the surface. Perhaps that came from being the sister of a Slayer she thought. The green glow at first seemed muted compared to Willow or Gray but after a few moments study Lady Aydin came to the conclusion that it hid far greater power. The red and the green, almost like two different sources of power contained in one person. The mist seemed to respond to Dawn's presence even more than any of the others. Almost like she was born to it.

The gazebo itself seemed intact. Nothing existed outside its boundaries. All Lady Aydin could see was the mist. At first it seemed white, tinged with a touch of blue. After a few moments she noticed the color green like a filter placed over her eyes. She turned her attention back to Gray.

She watched as he opened his eyes and began to look around. He seemed younger here. After looking at everyone else gathered in the gazebo his gaze finally settled on her. He smiled and motioned to Willow. She made a gesture with her hand and Lady Aydin found herself able to move freely. Gray spoke.

"I have brought us here to the Inner Planes because here, there can be no lies. No hidden truths. No bindings. No false oaths. Here, you are free to speak. Here, the compulsion spell has no power," he paused. Lady Aydin watched as he gathered his power. "In order to render an accurate judgment on this matter I must be certain of both the petitioners and the one whose actions are being judged. Here both must give a full account of themselves. Faye, you are the one who brings this petition before me. State your case."

Faye took a deep breath, "I had a vision. In a dream I saw this Wizarding world, cut off, isolated from the rest of world, dying. In that same dream I saw a man. His features were distorted almost snake like. He was killing his people. Many of my sister Slayers have had similar dreams. To a Slayer these dreams are a call to action. We must stop this man and find a way to save these people from their isolation. Lady Aydin has information that is critical for us to complete this mission. Only by removing the compulsion do we have a real chance at success."

Lady Aydin found herself staring at Faye. The Slayers were guided by dreams. She had no idea they possessed such abilities. She had always assumed the Slayer was just a warrior, that the Watchers provided the guidance. She was being forced to revise many of her old assumptions this evening. Her attention returned to Gray. She expected him to address her next. She was surprised when his attention turned to Rupert.

"Rupert, you are not a Slayer," Gray said. "What is your roll in this matter?"

"I am a Watcher," Giles answered. "My duty, the duty of all Watchers, is to support the Slayers. Where they go, where they lead, we follow."

Gray nodded his head. "Willow?"

"I too am a Watcher," Willow paused. "But more than that. I called the Slayers. Faye, the others, they wouldn't be here, wouldn't have these responsibilities, if hadn't cast the spell. I'm responsible to them. I have to help."

Again Gray nodded his head. "Eric?"

Eric took his time. He seemed lost in thought. "My father died with his Slayer. They died stopping a demon from killing a group of children. My grandfather raised me to take over stewardship of the Slayer line. I know the old council had its flaws; I had many arguments with grandfather about them, but there were a lot of good people there. Many of them were my friends. I fight to honor their memories. Besides I can't sit at a desk all day, I gotta get my hands dirty."

Gray smiled. "Dawn?"

"I know too much to walk away," Dawn said. "And I know I have the ability to help. I'm also a Summers girl. This is what we do."

Gray seemed to take his time studying Dawn. After a few seconds he nodded his head. His attention finally Lady Aydin, "Sophia, Faye has stated that she is being called to aid the Wizarding world in its present battle. She believes the knowledge you posses is essential to winning this battle. I remind you there is no compulsion here. You can speak freely of the Wizarding world. If I find that compulsion needs to remain, then no one will remember what you say here. So I ask Sophia, what is this threat that faces the Wizarding world?"

"A wizard named Tom Riddle, he calls himself Lord Voldemort, has recently been revived," Lady Aydin started her tale. "He seeks to destroy everyone in his world who doesn't meet his definition of a 'pure' wizard. He has gathered a large following among his people and we're fairly certain he has nominal control over the leadership of the Wizarding world. No one in their world is acting to stop him. I fear that I will be left with declaring the Covenant void as my only option. That would mean revealing the existence of the Wizarding world and by extension all magic to the world at large."

Lady Aydin took a breath, "We have spent a great deal of time learning how to combat wizards, but our resources are inadequate for the conflict ahead. Frankly we need help. But the Covenant prevents me from seeking that help."

Gray closed his eyes. The glow around him intensified. Eric looked over at Caitlin.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"He is communing with the Masters of the Inner Planes," she replied. "Verifying the truth of what you have said and determining the proper course of action."

After another minute Gray's eyes opened. He looked at Sophia and smiled.

"Sophia," he started. "It is my judgment that the compulsion no longer serves a function. As a result, it will be lifted. You now have the freedom to choose who learns of the existence of the Wizarding world. This is a duty that falls only to you. The others are still bound by the Covenant. They can only speak if you grant leave to speak and then only to those you choose. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Sophia, this is not a light burden that is being placed upon you. You now serve as the bridge between two worlds. In your hands rests the fate of the Wizarding world. I sense that this Tom Riddle, Voldemort, whatever he chooses to call himself, is but the first challenge you will face. Choose wisely trust your instincts. In the end all magic flows together."

Again Gray closed his eyes. Lady Aydin watched as the mist dissipated. The world outside the gazebo became real again. They were back at the center of the maze. Gray opened his eyes. He looked older, drained. Caitlin walked over to his side and began to examine him.

"I am quite alright Caitlin, merely tired," he said. "There is reason I don't do such things very often. I thank you for your assistance Willow."

"It was an honor Gray," Willow replied.

"The hour has grown quite late," Gray said. "Time moves differently in the Inner Planes. Litton has prepared rooms," Gray turned his attention to Sophia. "The others had already planned on staying the night. I had Litton take the liberty of preparing rooms for you and Montgomery. You are free to stay. I would like to speak with you tomorrow morning."

"Your invitation is most generous Gray," Lady Aydin replied. "It has been many years since I last enjoyed the hospitality of Oakwood. I need to make a few calls but I will stay the evening."

"Litton and Montgomery are waiting for us at the entrance to the maze," Gray said. "Let us join them."

* * *

A/N - Apologies for the delay in updating. I got hit upside the head by real life a couple of weeks ago. Things have finally settled down into their usual chaos so I should be updating more often.


	19. Chapter Eighteen Comparing Notes

Chapter Eighteen – Comparing Notes

The next morning the group was gathered around the dining table enjoying an early breakfast.

"I need to get clearance from the Prime Minister and the Queen before I can have Sir Ian open MI5's files on Wizarding world," Lady Aydin said.

"Will that be a problem?" Giles asked.

"No," Lady Aydin replied. "They trust my judgment and they both know the stakes involved. The British government learned many centuries ago that when it comes to the esoteric, groups such as yours are the best equipped to handle such things. I should be able to forward you the basic packet on the Wizarding world by this afternoon."

"I will contact them myself to smooth things over," Sir John added. "I may be retired but I still have a little influence left."

"Little is putting mildly Gray," Lady Aydin said. "Rupert we will need to work out how best to combine our forces."

"The Council's Board is meeting tomorrow," Giles replied. "This will be one of the key topics of that meeting. Robert will most likely remain our primary liaison, but I suspect Buffy will assign a Slayer to 'run point' as she says, on this situation," he made a motion with his hand. "Probably Faye here."

"I already have someone in mind from MI5 to act as liaison with the Council," Lady Aydin said. "If I might ask, how many Slayers have had dreams like Faye's?"

"Twenty," Faye replied. "Including myself. All of them within roughly a month my dream. No one since the end of July. We assume that means we have everyone we need. Just how big is this Wizarding world. Dawn's estimates place the population between 60-70 thousand."

"Since you will be getting confirmation to see the file anyway, I suppose I can fill you in on some of the background," Lady Aydin replied. "Our current estimate places the Wizarding population in England at 27,000. The total for Europe and North Africa is between 150-165 thousand. For the rest of the world the population is roughly 15-20 thousand."

"Nearly 200,000 people total?!?" Willow's eyes bulged out. "That's a small city."

"It's an entire world unto itself," Lady Aydin said. "With a separate government, schools, police force (the effectiveness of which is highly debatable) and its own laws."

"Why is the population so concentrated in Europe?" Willow asked.

"D'Karsh relocated a sizable percentage of the Wizarding population to England," Lady Aydin explained. "Groups from all over the globe. Since the founding of the first enclave the Wizards have migrated back to Europe and expanded the protective magic of the Covenant to the few remaining Wizarding communities outside of England."

"But what about Asia?" Willow pressed.

"As far as we have been able to determine the Wizarding population in Asia was completely wiped out nearly 2,000 years ago," Lady Aydin continued. "The population there at this point mainly comprises immigrants from the European enclaves. They have one small village located in Eastern China. There use to be second village in Japan, but it was located in the hills overlooking Hiroshima. Magic doesn't protect from a nuclear bomb. A little over two thousand Wizards had taken refuge there to ride out the war. Only a few survived."

"And the Western hemisphere?"

"North American about 4,000. They're concentrated around what they call the Salem Institute. Although the school was relocated from Salem to Northern Canada in the early part of the twentieth century. The population in South America is about the same. They're concentrated in Southern Peru."

"That puts them pretty far away from the Hellmouth in Brazil," Eric noted.

"We've noticed that Wizards prefer to live far away from areas of strong natural magic," Lady Aydin replied.

"Makes sense," Willow said. "They are trying to avoid contact with other magic groups. Those places tend to attract a lot of magic users."

"One thing you should know," Lady Aydin said. "For reasons we've never been able to determine the vast majority of the Wizarding population is completely ignorant of magic outside of the enclaves."

"How the hell is that possible?" Eric said.

"We can only guess," Lady Aydin replied. "Most Wizards live their entire lives within the enclaves. They rarely interact with the outside world. Those few that do don't have dealings with other magic groups. They don't teach about magic outside the enclaves in their schools. In fact they don't teach much about the true history of the Wizarding world in their schools. It seems to be a deliberate policy on the part of their leaders. Although at this point their leaders are just as ignorant."

"Why would they do that?" Willow asked.

"As I said we don't know," Lady Aydin said. "They don't consult with us on education policy."

"So they won't expect a magical assault from outside the enclaves," Faye said. "That could give us an enormous strategic advantage. The longer this Riddle and his followers stay ignorant of whose attacking them the easier our job is."

"That's our strategy as well," Lady Aydin replied. "They discount threats from the 'muggle' world."

"'Muggle' world?" Willow asked.

"They call those outside the enclaves 'muggles,'" Lady Aydin explained. "It's their term for people without magic. For the most part they don't think we matter."

"I assume you have allies and contacts within the Wizarding world," Giles said.

"There is a formal liaison between their government and the Crown," Lady Aydin said. "The current one is, quite frankly, an idiot. We have established our own intelligence network within the enclaves. It's concentrated mostly in England, but we have contacts throughout the Wizarding world. I can't reveal more until I get authorization."

"Of course," Giles replied. "I must say this is incredible. An entire culture isolated for centuries. The possibilities for study."

"Oh God," Dawn said. "Giles is going into overload. Pretty soon he is going to go into full on professor mode."

"Dawn," Giles scowled. "Need I remind you that it was your curiosity that got us into this."

"He's got a point," Willow said. "You are turning into quite the little professor yourself."

"I am not," Dawn shot back. "I can still out shop anybody at this table."

"I did hear a rumor before I left Cleveland about the downtown merchant association naming an award for her and Buffy," Eric said. "Apparently they were quite impressed with their last outing."

"We had to make up the lack of shopping on our New York trip," Dawn said. "We got side tracked helping the police track down a serial killer."

"How's that going?" Eric asked.

"Jury delivered a conviction on four counts of 1st degree murder last week," Dawn answered. "The sentencing phase starts next week. It looks like the ADA running the case, Alex Cabot, is going to get the death penalty for Cummings."

"Good," Eric said. "Bastard has it coming. I only met Emily the day she came into Cleveland to interview with you and Giles but she struck me as good choice to run Guardian's New York office."

"We still haven't found a good replacement," Dawn said. "Andre's doing a good job. But we still need him for research in Cleveland. I need someone in New York full time. One who doesn't have to commute back and forth twice a month."

"I'm sure you'll come up with a solution Dawn," Giles said. "We have been rather busy the last few months."

"I do have a couple of good prospects," Dawn said. "We're still running the background checks on them. Hopefully I can have someone in place by the end of October. We're losing business not having somebody there full time."

"Professor and business tycoon," Willow said.

"Careful Willow," Dawn said. "I still haven't forgotten about all those chess games."

"I'll be good," Willow said in mock terror.

Lady Aydin shook her head at the exchange. She took the last bite of her waffle and started getting ready to leave. "Thank you for your hospitality Gray. I'm afraid I must be going. I need to contact the Queen and the Prime Minister and brief Sir Ian on the new situation," she looked around the table. "It has been a pleasure. Rupert I will contact you later this afternoon the work out the details of sending MI5's information on the Wizarding world."

"That should give us plenty of time too review the information before tomorrow's board meeting," Giles replied.

"Very well then," Lady Aydin stood up. "Gray, thank you again. This has been a most enlightening two days. I will see you all shortly."

Sir John rose from his chair. "I will show you out Sophia," he motioned to the others. "Please continue your conversation, I will return shortly. There is one last item I wish to cover with you."

Sir John escorted Lady Aydin from the dining room. A few minutes later he returned.

"As I said there is one other matter I wish to discuss," Sir John said. "Eric, Faye if you don't mind. I need to speak with the others privately."

"No problem," Eric said. He and Faye got up and left the dining room.

"Caitlin, please keep those two company," Sir John said. "And make certain we are not interrupted."

"Of course grandfather," she followed Eric and Faye out of the door.

"What is it you wish to speak to us about Gray?" Giles asked.

"Actually the matter concerns Dawn," Sir John replied. He noticed all three tense and he sensed a brush of power from Willow. He smiled.

"I see you have already guessed what I wish to talk about," he said. He looked directly at Dawn. "There is power in you. A power unlike any I have felt before. In this or any other life. I do not know what this power is but I can tell you I have never seen the Inner Planes respond to anyone's presence the way it responded to yours."

"Maybe I'm just well liked," Dawn said.

"Perhaps," Sir John said. "Let me say first, that what I know will never leave these grounds. I spoke with Sophia, although she does not know why, she will not speak of what she saw while on the Inner Planes. She assumed your gifts were because you are the sister of the Slayer. I encouraged that view."

"Thank you," Dawn said. "But why don't you get to the point."

"Ah youth," Sir John said. "Always impatient. As I said, I don't recognize your power. But while communing with Masters of the Inner Planes I did learn some things. You have a role to play in this Dawn. Your power will be needed. How, I do not know. All learned is that 'some keys open more than one lock.'"

"Is that all Gray?" Giles asked.

"That is all I have learned," Sir John replied. "You have my word, unless you specifically request it of me, I will not seek any further into this matter. The Masters made it very clear that no one should learn of Dawn's gifts too soon, before she has a chance to learn how to use them. I would suggest that you seek your own answers."

Dawn thought quietly. Ever since Glory none of the Scoobies really wanted to explore what being the Key meant. She was Dawn Summers. Buffy's sister. Watcher. She didn't want to be the Key. But it would seem the Powers had other plans for her. Well, if there was one thing Dawn knew how to do, it was find things out. So now she was going to research the one subject she had been deliberately avoiding for almost seven years.

"Thank you Gray," she said. "It would seem I have even more work to do than I thought."


	20. Chapter Nineteen Teleconferencing Slaye...

Chapter Nineteen – Teleconferencing Slayer Style

The following morning Jennifer Sinclair entered Lady Aydin's office. She was feeling nervous. She had been working for MI5 for seven years now and this was the first time she had been summoned to speak with Lady Aydin in her office. Teresa closed the door behind her and Lady Aydin motioned for her to sit down.

"Ms Sinclair," Lady Aydin began. "I am going to be reassigning you to some new duties."

Was she being pulled off the Riddle matter? Jennifer was shocked. She had proven herself. Did MI5 no longer trust her to deal objectively with matters related to the Wizarding world?

"What will my new duties entail?" Jennifer asked. She kept a tight reign on her emotions. Blowing up at Lady Aydin would accomplish nothing.

"You are to serve as MI5's liaison to the Watchers Council and the Slayers," Lady Aydin replied. "They have discovered the existence of the Wizarding world and are aware of the threat posed by Riddle."

"But the Covenant? How could they learn about Riddle? How is it possible for me to work with them? The binding magic would prevent me from telling them anything." Jennifer's head was spinning.

Lady Aydin smiled. Sir Ian's reaction had been almost the same. Gray was right a lot of people were going to have to learn to live in this new world.

"The Council has found a way around the Covenant," Lady Aydin replied. "I am now free to inform who ever I choose to about the existence of the Wizarding world. I can also grant leave to those bound by Covenant to share what they know with those I choose. You are free to discuss the Wizarding world with the members of the Watchers Council and the Slayers."

"I assume I'll be working with Watcher O'Leary." Jennifer said.

"No," Lady Aydin replied. "The Council will assign a Slayer to 'run point' on matters dealing with Wizarding world. You will be working with her."

"How much can I tell them?" Jennifer asked.

"Everything both you and MI5 know about the Wizarding world."

"Everything," Jennifer blinked. "I mean no disrespect ma'am but are you sure that's wise?"

"I trust the Council," Lady Aydin replied. "They learned of the Wizarding world's existence almost three months ago and rather than simply charging in blind, they took their time and learned what they needed to know. You will also find that their resources are even more extensive than we had suspected. I'll be having a few discussions with Robert about matters of 'mutual interest' over the next few months."

"When do I begin?"

"The Council will be sending their representatives here within the next couple of days," Lady Aydin replied. "They will be meeting with the department heads to be briefed on what we know about Wizards."

"This will also provide us with an opportunity to learn more about the Slayers," Jennifer noted.

Lady Aydin took a breath. "I want to be very clear on this point Jennifer. This is not an opportunity to spy on the Council. If they ask you not to reveal certain information to either myself or MI5, you are to honor that request," Lady Aydin said.

"My Lady, why not take advantage of the situation?" Jennifer asked.

"First, I don't want to risk breaking the trust the Council and others are showing in me," Lady Aydin replied. "We're not going make the mistake the Americans made with their idiotic 'Initiative' program. Second, I now have a much better idea just how powerful Willow Rosenberg truly is. We will not do anything that might upset her. The third is the basic truth of the world. Champions like the Slayers have been here since before recorded history. Long before the sun rose on the British Empire and they will be here long after it finally sets. These duties belong to them more than us. Our duty is to aid them not undercut them. Do you understand Jennifer?"

"Yes My Lady."

* * *

The boardroom of the Council's London office was a mess. It was never designed with teleconferencing in mind. And certainly not teleconferencing the way the Slayers practiced it. One whole wall was filled with plasma screens, wires, a couple of small cameras; it was an electrician's nightmare. Willow had promised she would be fixing it soon (soon currently defined as two years).

On the opposite side of the room was table where the senior members of the Council sat. The table was rigged with an omni-directional mike, wireless keyboards and mouses (and a regular paper notepad for Giles) along with network cables to plug in laptop computers. The overall impression was an incredibly garish blend of old world design and modern technology.

It was London's turn to get the choice time slot. The Council's board members were scattered all over the globe. Whenever they met, inevitably most people got stuck with either being up at some ridiculously late or ungodly early hour. The Council rotated which office got the prime late afternoon time slot.

It had been a typically long session covering supernatural matters across the globe. Giles was currently in the middle of a loosing argument.

"All of our research on H'taka demons shows that they are peaceful herbivores," the head of research at the Indonesian office said. "There are even records showing them making deals with villages to protect them from other demons in exchange for a portion of their crops. Deals, which they honored."

"I hate to say it," Xander said. "But it think it might be worth exploring a deal with these guys."

"I agree," said Buffy.

Giles stared at the screen showing Buffy, Xander, Robin, Andre and two other Slayers from the Cleveland office sitting at a table.

"Very well," Giles conceded. "Celia, you are authorized to begin negotiating with the head of H'taka clan." Giles shook his head. "You need to clear it with the full Board before you can sign any agreement."

"I understand," Celia, the Slayer in charge of the Indonesian office, said.

"That just leaves the matter of the Wizarding world to deal with," Giles said.

"So, what is the plan for dealing with Little Tommy Riddle and his Merry Band of Jokesters?" Xander asked.

Giles had to smile at that. Leave it Xander to break a tense mood.

"We need to determine the exact nature of the threat," Giles said. "And once this Riddle has been dealt with, we need to find a way to solve the larger problem facing these Wizards."

Buffy could be seen thinking. "Alright, Faye will run point on this one. The Slayers that have had dreams about these Wizards will report to her. Given the size of this Wizarding world we'll probably end up making them an independent team anyway."

"It sounds like you're thinking policing the Wizarding world is going to turn into a long term gig B," Faith said. She was sitting in the conference room in Rio.

"Trying to think ahead," Buffy said. "From what I read in the packet these Wizards have a tendency to play a lot of 'pranks' on innocent people. Pranks that put people in the hospital. Their own government doesn't seem to care. I think it might be appropriate for someone to teach them a lesson about the dangers of abusing their power," Giles noted that almost all the Slayers got a particularly predatory gleam in their eyes.

"So it looks like the holes we created on the European teams may be permanent," Kennedy noted.

"I guess so," Buffy responded. "I'm betting you've already been thinking about possible solutions."

"Long term we're just going to have wait for Robin to finish training the new class of Slayers so we can get them into the field," Kennedy said. "But I've already taken the liberty of talking with the reserve Slayers living around Europe to step up their patrolling and a couple of them will be taking time off work and school to fill in with teams that are short handed."

Buffy nodded her head. With so many Slayers available it wasn't necessary to have them all out hunting demons full time. A lot of the girls got to lead normal lives (well normal for a Slayer anyway). They had jobs or went to school. They all patrolled the areas around where they lived. Everyone rotated through Cleveland to train at least once a year. Most importantly they provided the Council with a solid group of reserves that could be called upon to plug holes and help stop the occasional apocalypse. They also tended to take point on any major operation the Council carried out in near where they lived.

"I'll have the next group of Slayers ready to deploy in three months," Robin said. "Buffy spoke to me about incorporating what we learn about wand wielders into the training. So you need to make sure I get CC'd on the e-mail this time."

"I'll make sure," Dawn said. "Sheesh, forget to mention one new type of demon and you're branded for life."

"You're ok working the British government on this one Buffy?" Willow asked.

"That Brits have been good to us," Buffy responded. "And you guys know what areas to keep outsiders away from."

"That covers everything on the agenda," Giles said. "Buffy, Xander, Faith, I would like to talk with you for a few minutes longer. Good day or night as the case may be to the rest of you."

It took a few minutes for everybody to say their goodbyes and sign off. Soon it was down to just the core Scoobies. Faith had become a full Scooby after Sunnydale. Xander even made her do the Snoopy dance to cement the honor. The videotape of which he kept for blackmail purposes.

"Ok G-man what's up?" Xander asked.

"I'd like for the three of you arrange to come to London in the next couple of weeks," Giles said. "There are some matters which need to be discussed face to face."

"Damn Giles," Faith said. "I've been on the road for most of the last six months. I was looking forward to having a couple months of quality time with Robin."

"I'm sorry Faith," Giles said. "But this is a Scooby matter."

Buffy was impressed. It had taken a few years but Giles no longer flinched when he said 'Scooby.'

"This a big one Giles?" Buffy asked.

"It might be Buffy," Dawn said. "I learned some things about what Glory was after."

Buffy's eye's narrowed and Xander sat up.

"We can be there tomorrow," Xander said.

"That won't be necessary," Dawn said. "This isn't time critical. I just need to talk to you guys face to face and it would be better if it doesn't look like we're all panicking about something."

"You're sure there's no danger?" Buffy said.

"No danger," Dawn said. "We just need to talk."

Buffy relaxed. "Ok, I think we can come up with some pre-text to get all of us to London in the next couple of weeks. Sorry Faith. If it helps, we can arrange to bring your boy toy along."

"No problem B," Faith said. "It sounds like I'm going to get to hear yet another of the fabled Tales of Sunnydale."


	21. Chapter Twenty ACDC No, not the band

Chapter Twenty – AC/DC (No, not the band)  
  
"We've become the merry little group the last couple of weeks," Eric said.  
  
"Just call us the four Musketeers," Dawn responded.  
  
Eric, Faye, Willow and Dawn were sitting in the conference room of MI5's Special Projects division. They had been spending most of the morning being briefed by Director Buford and Jerry Cromwell on the current political situation in the Wizarding world.  
  
"I still can't believe that most Wizards can't even say the name Voldemort," Dawn said. "Do you think they're all inflicted with some kind of psychosis? Maybe mass insanity from all the inbreeding? Ok, I get the guy's responsible for hundreds of deaths. But that's hardly Hitler level numbers. And he's way behind Mayor Wilkins."  
  
"You got me," Eric responded. "From everything I've seen thus far the man seems a lot like the magical version of Al Capone. Good solid police work should be enough to take him down. I think you're right Faye. This Riddle is only the beginning of the Wizarding world's problems."  
  
"So we're not the Musketeers," Dawn said. "We're The Untouchables."  
  
"Who gets to be Elliot Ness?" Willow asked.  
  
"I don't care," Eric replied. "I'll be Sean Connery."  
  
"In your dreams," Faye said. "You can be Charles Martin Smith."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"He played Oscar Wallace, the accountant."  
  
"You know, I don't make fun of you for knowing this kind of stuff," Eric said.  
  
"Fine, you can be Andy Garcia," Faye responded.  
  
"Who was he again?"  
  
"George Stone, the sharpshooter."  
  
"Oh yea, I liked him. That's acceptable."  
  
Willow shook her head and decided to change the subject. "What gets me is how they stay so isolated. I mean with a population so large, you'd think more people would bolt from the enclaves. How do they keep such tight controls without telling anybody about why the walls were created or for that matter that they are even there?"  
  
"That's a good question," Dawn said. "From what Jennifer told us she's one of only a handful of Wizards that both lives and works outside the enclaves. And the others all work in areas that directly support the Wizarding world. Buying food, materials and other necessities."  
  
"We'll have to ask her when she comes back in," Eric said.  
  
"That should be right about now," Faye said. At that moment the door opened revealing Jennifer Sinclair. A young man followed her into the conference room.  
  
"Hello again," Jennifer said. "This is Dr. Marshall, the head of our research division. He can answer most of your questions about the nature of wand magic."  
  
"Before we get to that," Eric started, "we were wondering if you could answer a question for us."  
  
"Ask away," Jennifer said. Thus far she was impressed with the Council's representatives. Although she was moderately disappointed in her ability to talk with the Slayer. The young women seemed very reserved. She sat quietly, preferring to let the other three take the lead and only occasionally joining in.  
  
She really wanted a chance to hear some of her stories. From what she learned from the other members of MI5 many of the Slayers had faced creatures straight out of her nightmares. The kinds of things that would make even a trained squad of Aurors turn and run.  
  
"We were wondering why more Wizards don't live outside of the enclaves," Eric said. "It strikes us as odd that nobody ever seems to leave. Even Wizards born outside the enclaves move into them full time after they finish their schooling."  
  
"You know, I've never really thought about that," Jennifer shrugged her shoulders. "It just never occurs to anybody to leave. We have everything we need. And the outside world seems very dull after you've lived in the enclaves for any length of time. The only reason I started living here is because my grandfather made me. Although at this point I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I don't know how anyone could think of this world as dull."  
  
"But you were raised in the enclaves," Dawn said. "You even attended school at this Hogwarts."  
  
"Only for my first two years," Jennifer said. "My grandfather pulled me out of Hogwarts after Voldemort's Death Eaters killed my parents. He home schooled me after that. I didn't know it at the time, but that apparently caused a huge ruckus at the Ministry. It's illegal to home school Wizards. We're required to attend a Wizarding school. Only my grandfather's position as an Elder and a member of the Wizengamot made it possible."  
  
Dawn got a thoughtful look on her face and then nodded. "We'll just have to chalk this one up to questions to be answered later," Dawn shifted her attention to other person in the room. "So Dr. Marshall, what's the difference between wand magic and what we do."  
  
"Well, Talerie gets rather upset with me when I say this," Dr. Marshall said. "But magic is magic. Just like electricity is electricity. The only difference is in how it's wired."  
  
"Ok, so how are they wired differently?" Willow asked.  
  
"Bare in mind," Dr. Marshall said. "This is only an analogy. There are a number of exceptions. Basically, the difference between wand based magic and the magic practiced outside the enclaves can be summed up as AC/DC."  
  
Dr. Marshall paused. "This is usually the part where someone in the room makes a bad joke about 80's bands."  
  
"Dr. Marshall," Dawn said, mustering as much dignity as she could. "We are a professional organization. Such banal pop culture references are beneath us."  
  
"None of you could think of good joke," Dr. Marshall said.  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Please continue Doctor," Willow said.  
  
"As I said," Marshall continued. "This is only an analogy. Basically your magic Ms Rosenberg and the magic practiced by the majority of people living outside the enclaves is Alternating Current."  
  
"Meaning?" Willow asked.  
  
"Your magic constantly interacts with the environment around it," Marshall replied. "When you perform spells, you shift magic back and forth between yourself and item in question. This constant interaction is the reason most mages can sense magic."  
  
"I guess that makes sense," Willow replied. "Reality is a lot more complicated. That makes wands wielders Direct Current."  
  
"Precisely," Marshall replied. "They focus magic directly. Where you interact, they push. This is the reason they need an external focusing element. Wands give Wizards the ability to control magic directly to affect the world around them. The lack of interaction with their environment is the reason most Wizards can't sense other varieties of magic. The 'push' nature of their magic is also the reason it's far easier to detect then most other varieties of magic. As Talerie says, it does not blend with environment."  
  
"That might also explain their ability to teleport so easily," Willow said.  
  
"Again you are correct," Marshall nodded. "One of the principle advantages of wand based magic is the incredibly precise control it affords. It is far easier for Wizards to retain the tight control needed to direct a teleportation than it is for other magic users. This control also gives them a much greater ability to transform objects or affect the local environment. However that control is limited. No Wizard has ever developed powers to your level Ms Rosenberg. Because of their ability to sense and draw power from the world around them, ACs have far greater potential then DCs. DCs are all good at the small stuff. But ACs can cast spells that affect the whole world."  
  
"So what are some of the other strengths and weaknesses of wand wielders?" Faye asked.  
  
"As I said the principle strength is their control," Marshall replied. "The principle weakness is their dependence on wands. Without those a Wizard cannot direct magic. There are limited cases of Wizards using magic without their wands. The magic is uncontrolled and generally appears only in times of high emotional stress and from what we've learned only a very few Wizards posses such potential."  
  
"So why only one wand per Wizard?" Eric asked. "I'm good with knife, but I don't bet my life on it. I always carry backup weapons."  
  
"To return to the electricity analogy, every Wizard is wired a little differently; different wattages, voltage, amps. Each wand is made differently; different woods, shape, length and different magical cores. The wands have to match to the Wizard. When they're still young it is possible to find a replacement wand that will work almost as well as the original. As Wizards grow older they form a bond with their wand. The older a Wizard gets and longer they've been using a particular wand the more difficult it is for them to use any other wand. Even one made from the same elements."  
  
Faye looked over at Jennifer, "So I take it many of your attack spells focus on destroying an opponents wand or at a minimal getting it away from them."  
  
Jennifer reacted with a shock," Destroy another wand. We don't do that. Without their wand a Wizard can't function in our world. I don't know of any spells that destroy a wand. During my Auror training we were always taught to expel a wand. Destroying one," she just shook her head.  
  
"As you've just seen," Marshall motioned towards Jennifer with his hand. "The Wizarding world has developed very strong prohibitions against deliberate destruction of wands. My understanding is that deliberately destroying another student's wands is grounds for immediate expulsion from school, without appeal and the destruction of offending student's wand, effectively making them a 'squib' in their world. The penalties for adults are on par with the use of an 'unforgivable' curse. They don't even destroy the wands of Wizards convicted of crimes. They are kept in storage."  
  
"What's a squib?" Dawn asked.  
  
"A person born to a Wizard who doesn't have any magic," Jennifer answered. "They are allowed to live in the enclaves and retain their knowledge of the Wizarding world. Most end up living outside the enclaves. They find it easier to live in the 'muggle' world. It's difficult for a squib to live in the enclaves without magic."  
  
"Squib, muggle. Are all the terms for non-Wizards vaguely insulting?" Dawn asked.  
  
"They're just the words we use," Jennifer said. "A rude term would be mudblood."  
  
"I don't want to get all PC," Dawn said. "But that's where you're wrong. You define everyone not a Wizard as being immediately less than you."  
  
"I understand what your saying Ms Summers," Jennifer replied. "And I even agree with you. I've been living out here long enough to know the Wizarding world doesn't have the corner on magic. I spent two years as an Auror before grandfather talked me into coming to work for MI5. Believe me, I know Wizards have a lot to learn."  
  
At that moment Director Buford entered the room again.  
  
"How are things going in here?" He asked.  
  
"Quite well Sir Ian," Willow answered. "Your people have been most helpful in filling in the blanks."  
  
"I just wanted to inform you that I've sent tasking orders to one our moles in the Ministry to get the file on Sirius Black," Sir Ian said. "Within the next few days we should be able to start actively tracking him down."  
  
"Actually Director Buford," Dawn said. "We had our own plan for drawing out some of Tommy Riddle's Merry Band of Jokesters."  
  
Jennifer blinked. "You're calling Death Eaters a merry band of jokesters?"  
  
"Xander came up with it," Dawn said. "Scooby rule. It's always easier to defeat a big bad if you can mock them."  
  
"Scooby rule, big bad?" Jennifer was still trying to process merry band of jokesters.  
  
Eric rolled his eyes. The uninitiated had a hard time keeping up with the Sunnydale crew.  
  
"Trust me," Eric said. "Just nod your head and go along with it. Trying to think through Scooby logic rationally just hurts your head. If you just roll with it, after a while, you won't even notice they've driven you completely insane."  
  
"We're not that bad," Willow said.  
  
"Yes you are," both Faye and Eric said together.  
  
It was Director Buford's turn to shake his head. These people save the world on a regular basis? The universe has a very odd sense of humor he thought. He was going to have to come up with something special for Sophia to pay her back for subjecting him to these people.  
  
"What does your plan entail?" Director Buford asked.  
  
"We came up with it before we knew you would be willing to work with us," Dawn said. "We didn't want to breach the enclaves so we decided to bring the mountain to us."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Given what happened fifteen years ago, we can make some good guesses on what Riddle is after," Dawn answered. "We put the word out we have something he wants. And he comes to us. If we do it right, Riddle won't even know what happened to his people."  
  
"Sounds intriguing," Director Buford said. "We figure Riddle is still setting up his organization. If supposedly loyal Death Eaters disappear, it could cause a lot of dissension in the ranks. Let's talk," Director Buford smiled and nodded. "Yes. A simultaneous attack on two fronts."  
  
"I like that idea," Dawn smiled back.


	22. Chapter Twenty One The Mole

Chapter Twenty-One – The Mole

Percy Weasley scowled as soon as he closed the door to his office. His brother Ron would have read the letter he sent. Someday he hoped his brother would understand and forgive him for what he was doing. But he very much doubted it. Ron was simply too stubborn. The letter sung the praises of Dolorese Umbridge and encouraging Ron to stick close to her and stay away from Potter.

He knew his brother would do the opposite. But he hoped his friend Hermione would interpret the letter correctly. A warning to stay clear of Umbridge. The woman was looking for an excuse to expelled Potter and any of his friends. Hopefully, they would keep their crazy stunts to a minimal this year. Unlikely. Potter attracted trouble seemingly just for the fun of it.

The interview he gave the reporter from the Daily Prophet left him equally angered. Malfoy had successfully steered Fudge to focus all of his attention on Hogwarts and the Minister was simply too blind and stupid to see how he was being manipulated. So rather than investigate some of the strange happenings around the Wizarding world the Minister had spent most of the last month pushing his 'reforms' of Hogwarts through the Wizengamot. And in order to keep his position Percy had to spout off like a trained house elf about all the good they would do for the school.

But he knew he was lucky. It had been a very near thing after the disaster with Crouch. He should have noticed his superiors changed behavior and raised questions. But he was too excited about having access to all of the International Cooperation department's files. He had managed to copy everything he had access to and forward it to his contact at MI5. That fact that no one else in the Ministry noticed anything wrong with Crouch would not have protected him. He was the low man; they would pass all blame to him. His father didn't help. He made it harder for Percy to be taken seriously.

It had been Elder Sinclair's idea for him to play to Fudge's vanity. Play up his rift with his family. That hadn't been as hard as he thought. His father really did lack ambition. His eccentricities had made it more difficult for Percy to advance. And frankly his parents were fools to rely on Dumbledore to save them. The man hadn't done much of anything the last time except watch people die.

No one had. Percy may have been young at the time but he still remembered the fear that permeated the house. Waiting around for another lucky accident to befall Voldemort was not an answer. Another Potter wasn't going to pop up and save them all this time. The only reason Potter was still alive today was blind luck. Percy didn't believe in luck. He believed in hard work and strategy. His parents could hero worship all they want. Percy was going to actually do something.

He had struck up a friendship with Elder Sinclair early on in his days at the Ministry. To Percy the Elder was a strong-minded man who believed in things being done the proper way. He wore black robes to Wizengamot as a sign of respect. He always pushed for strengthening the Aurors and clamping down on Wizarding pranksters and law and order.

It had almost a month after their first meeting that the Elder had broached the subject of sharing information with him about happenings in International Cooperation. At first he had just shared information with Sinclair. He was an Elder, so Percy really wasn't breaking any rules. Then the Elder had sat him down and explained the Covenant. The Wizarding worlds true relationship with the British crown.

The truth had come as a shock to Percy. But the Elder convinced him to provide MI5 with information about Wizarding world. Form Percy's perspective the Wizarding world had an agreement with the Crown. An agreement they broke by not dealing with Voldemort. So he was just following a different set of rules. He took a brief leave of absence from his position in the Ministry and spent two weeks training with MI5.

The Elder was right, if another threat like Voldemort appeared the British government needed to be kept informed. And, as Percy had been learning over the past year, muggles knew a lot about magic. The fact that they had provided him with devices to copy files and record conversations, all of which worked in the Ministry, showed they were quite capable of challenging Wizards on their own terms.

Besides with a powerful Elder as his patron behind the scenes Percy could advance far at the Ministry, regardless of his family. And if he was discovered he could always move into the muggle world and work directly for the Crown. His knowledge of Wizarding world would be invaluable and his loyalty now would make it possible for him to advance pretty far in the muggle world as well.

But the time for reflection was past. MI5 had tasked him with getting a copy of the complete file on the search for Sirius Black. They didn't tell him why. As he learned during his training, it was safer that way. But Percy could guess that it meant they were preparing to make their own moves against Voldemort and his followers. And they were going to start with one of the most notorious murders in Wizarding world. Good.

Time to put his plan into action. Percy took a breath, gathered a few papers and left his office to have his regular morning meeting with Minister Fudge. Malfoy may be a Death Eater, but watching him manipulate the Minister had taught Percy a great deal about how to manage his superior.

He entered the Minister of Magic's office to find Fudge smiling over a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Ah, Percy my boy," Fudge said. "Just reading the Daily Prophet. You did an excellent job. You'll go a long way in this world."

"Thank you Minister," Percy plastered on his usual professional face. "If may Minister, I believe it is important for a man in your position to kept up to date on all the major projects happening in the Ministry."

"Yes of course," Fudge replied. "But I simply don't have the time."

"That is why I am here sir," Percy said. He'd been laying the groundwork for this the past few days. Slowly allowing the amount of paperwork on the Minister's desk to pile up to nearly unmanageable levels. "Perhaps if I took over monitoring one or two of your projects it would free up your time to focus more attention on the vital reforms you're attempting at Hogwarts."

"Yes," Fudge nodded his head. "That's an idea. It's past time I started expanding your responsibilities Weasley. You've proven yourself a loyal and hard working assistant. Did you have something in mind?"

"Well, there is the matter of improving our relations with the North African Ministry," Percy said. "I developed good relations with them while working with International Cooperation. Perhaps something with the Aurors. Maybe that matter over at St. Mungo's?" Now if he dropped the right suggestions over the past couple of days Fudge should send him exactly where he wanted to go.

"You would be perfect for the situation in North Africa," Fudge said. "But not St. Mungo's. I think you would benefit more by keeping track of the Black investigation for me. Draft a memo to Shacklebolt that all reports are to go directly to you from now on and I'll sign it."

"Whatever you think is best Minister," Percy smiled inwardly. It worked. Bastard though he may be, Percy did need to thank Malfoy for his objects lessons in managing Cornelius Fudge. "I will, of course, need to review the entire case file up to this point. I want to be certain I provide you with only best information Minister."

"Good thinking my boy," Fudge said. "Make sure you include a section in the memo saying that you are to be allowed to have full access to all information regarding Sirius Black."

"Of course Minister," Percy said. "Now, to review your schedule for the day."

Percy spent the next few minutes reviewing the days schedule with Minister Fudge and getting the list of things that needed to get done that day.

* * *

It was mid afternoon before Percy found the time to head to the Department of Magical Law  
Enforcement. After he arrived he made his way to where Shacklebolt was managing the search for Black.

"We still need to follow up on the lead from Tibet," Percy heard Shacklebolt say as he entered the room. "And I want to dispatch an Auror down to Paris to coordinate with their Aurors on a possible sighting in the south of France."

Percy shook his head. He remembered the number of requests Shacklebolt filed with International Cooperation to coordinate with other Aurors throughout the Wizarding world to track down Black. It seemed at times like almost a quarter of all Aurors were busy hunting Black down to the corners of the Earth. But even after two years they were still no closer to finding him.

"Excuse me, Auror Shacklebolt," Percy said. "But I believe you were supposed to have some files ready for me this afternoon."

Shacklebolt looked at Percy. Annoying sycophant he thought. Turning his back on his family to kiss up to Fudge. "Yes of course Weasley. I received the Minister's memo just after lunch. The complete copy of the case file is right here," he lifted up a large filing box and handed it to Percy.

"Thank you Shacklebolt," Percy said. "Please remember, from now on all of your reports are to be routed to me."

"I'll make certain of it," this should make my job easier Shacklebolt figured. Percy doesn't know anything about tracking people. Fooling him should pose no big problem.

"Thank you again," Percy smiled. "I will be certain to mention to Minister Fudge how helpful you've been."

With that Percy returned to his office. He set the file down on the floor. He sat at his desk and pulled a small wire out from under his shirt collar. He attached it to his glasses just behind his ear. With his hair brushed down it was virtually invisible. He reached under his robes and into the pocket of his shirt and switched the device on. He had put fresh batteries in this morning so he should be able to get at least four solid hours of use out it.

His father would go nuts over his glasses. They had a very small digital camera built into the frame. Unless someone knew what to look for, pretty much impossible in the Wizarding world, it was invisible. He picked up the first file and began scanning through the material. From the perspective of anybody coming into the room it looked like Percy was diligently reviewing the material. He was. At the same time he was also recording all the information into a micro-hard drive concealed in his pocket.

* * *

It was early evening when Percy finally left the Ministry. Following the routine he had begun soon after starting with the Ministry, Percy left through the Visitor's entrance to walk back to his apartment in Diagon Alley. He stopped at a small muggle coffee shop. Most people at the Ministry wrote off Percy's enjoyment of his after work affectation for muggle coffee as the leftover influence of his father and were perfectly willing to overlook it.

Percy ordered his usual and sat at a booth in the back of shop. When he finished his coffee and pastry he got up to leave. As he passed the garbage can in the shop he tossed his napkin into the bin. Wadded up inside was the hard-drive. It was a classic dead drop. Executed by spies since spies first came into being. No magic, no special devices. When done right, as Percy did here, no knew anything was even happening. The cleaning service used by the coffee shop was a front for MI5; the night janitor would retrieve the hard drive after closing.

By mid-morning tomorrow Jerry Cromwell would be busy reviewing the first half of the Black file. Within two days MI5 would know everything about Sirius Black that the Ministry of Magic did.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two What's in a Key?

Chapter Twenty Two – What's in a Key?

Dawn raced up to give her sister a hug.

"It's great to see you Buffy," she then gave big hugs to Xander and Faith. "And you guys."

"It's good to see you too," Buffy said. The group started making their way through the London Headquarters. "Sorry it took so long to get everybody here. Things got active in Cleveland and we couldn't afford to have both Faith and I away at the same time. And then there was that little side trip I ended up making to Arizona."

"How did that go?" Dawn asked.

"She said yes," Buffy said. "I'm going to need to borrow Willow for a week or so to get everything set up in Cleveland if that's alright."

"Not a problem," Dawn said. "We're kind of in a holding pattern on our plans right now until MI5 locates this Black guy. Sir Ian likes the idea of two simultaneous strikes. If we do it right, it should seriously disrupt whatever plans Riddle has."

"Good," Buffy replied.

"I haven't had much of a chance to review the reports you've been sending D," Faith said. "But from the little I've read, the Wizarding world seems bizarre. It sounds like everything they do is magical. Right down to the sports they play."

"You would pick up on the," Dawn paused in thought, "Quidditch thing first."

"A sport played on broomsticks," Faith said. "Everyone flying around the air. Sounds like fun. The scoring seems a little odd. The only two people that matter are the two chasing after the snip."

"Snitch."

"Right. I'd love to see a game."

"Actually so would I," Xander added.

"We'll have to see what we can arrange after we get past the current situation," Dawn said. She led them into the conference room where Willow and Giles were waiting for them. Another round of greetings and hugs were exchanged. They all sat down at the table.

"B told me everything that really went down with Glory after I got back to Cleveland," Faith said. She looked at Dawn. "I still can't believe it. I mean, I remember so much. That Christmas I spent with you and Joyce. You got so excited about the snow. You ran out and made snow angels," Faith shook her head.

"I really don't like thinking about it," Dawn said. "So much that makes me happy. Memories of mom, playing with Buffy while I grew up, they never really happened."

"That doesn't matter," Buffy said. "You're my sister. Whatever you were before, you're one of us now."

"I know," Dawn said. "It's just that Gray's little pronouncement really got me thinking about things I prefer to avoid."

"Ok, Gray's the guy you needed to lift the spell on Lady Aydin," Xander said. "What does he know about you?"

"In order to lift the spell, Gray and I transported all of us into the Astral plane," Willow said. "I didn't really think about what that might mean for Dawn. The Astral plane responded to her presence. Gray noticed. He also received a message from the Powers that Dawn's power would be needed."

"What do you mean responded?" Buffy asked.

"I can't really explain it," Dawn said. "I know this is going to sound weird, but it almost felt like I was home. The energy around me just flowed through me. It started to change like I was adding to it," Dawn paused trying to think. "That's not right, but I just can't find the words. It's like when you and Faith try to describe something your Slayer senses pick up to rest of us. There's just no point of reference for anybody doesn't feel the same things you do."

"Can this Gray guy be trusted?" Xander asked.

"Yes," Willow said. "He's the senior mystic in Britain. Everything we've learned about him says he's an honorable man. He won't reveal any secrets. Besides, he and I have developed a good working relationship."

"Just how much does he know?" Buffy asked

"Not much beyond my having a hidden power," Dawn said. "He doesn't know what the source of it is."

Buffy started thinking. "So do we have any idea what the Key is needed for?"

"Not a clue," Dawn said. "The first time I walked into Buckland's I got a tingle. I talked about it with Willow. We both assumed it was just because I have a higher sensitivity to magic. We've never been really certain if that was because I'm the Key or some part of the Slayer essence I got because I was created from you. I guess we can now assume it's because I'm the Key."

"What do we know about the Key?" Faith asked.

"Very little I'm afraid," Giles replied. "Quentin classified everything related to Glory. What little the Council knew was destroyed with the archives and the few people who were involved in researching Glory and the Key were killed by the First."

"What about the other people in Research?" Buffy asked.

"Quentin kept Research out the loop on Glory," Dawn said. "They knew something big was going down. Most of the senior Council members were pulling a lot of records. But all anybody in the department knows about what really happened is what we told them. You died destroying the Key and closing the portal."

"Could we quietly backtrack their research?" Xander asked. "You could probably figure out what files they pulled."

"I've been doing a little of that over the past couple of weeks," Dawn replied. "But it's slow going. A lot of the stuff they pulled had nothing to do with the Key, just the concept of mystical keys in general. I'm guessing anything that might have been even moderately relevant went into the restricted archives."

"We've spent a lot of the last five years trying to rebuild those archives," Willow said. "But we don't have an index of what was stored in them and so much of what was there was one of kind."

"So basically we're at square one," Xander said.

"So where do we go from here?" Buffy asked. "It's looks like Dawn's joined the Destiny club. So how do we figure out what that Destiny is?"

"What about those Monks that had the Key first or the Knight guys that chased after you?" Faith asked.

"The Order of Dagon and the Knights of Byzantium were both destroyed by Glory," Giles said.

"Can we be sure?" Faith asked.

"Despite their claims to Buffy the Knights never numbered in the thousands," Giles said. "Most of their numbers had already been slaughtered by Glory before she ever got to Sunnydale. The old Council confirmed that much after I returned to England. The few surviving members were all in on that last assault. As for the Order of Dagon, they only had one principle base of operations and that was attacked and destroyed by Glory. From what I and the Council members could learn the only member of the Order to survive is the one Buffy found."

"What do we know about their histories?" Faith asked.

Giles paused. "Again very little. The Order of Dagon was created sometime early in the first Millennium. The Order was supposedly disbanded in the eighth century because of their Heretical believes and practices in forbidden magic. Many of their members were from so-called pagan faiths. They continued on without the blessings of the Church."

He continued, "As to the Knights of Byzantium. Their formation dates to the Crusades and they were originally a Crusading order like the Templar Knights. The Knights were excommunicated during the Inquisition for being 'too zealous' in their pursuit of the unfaithful."

"Wait," Willow said. "They were considered 'too zealous' during the Inquisition? Given that Zealots were running the Inquisition they must have been really bad."

"Bad is putting it mildly," Giles replied. "They targeted priests and Bishops. Any who did not meet their standards of piety were flayed alive. Anyone who disagreed with them was killed in even more gruesome manners."

"Nice folks," Buffy said. "Hard to believe but it actually seems like they mellowed over time."

"Yes, quite," Giles said. "It was after they were excommunicated that the Knights began actively seeking out demons and other dark creatures. It was probably during this period that they learned about the Order of Dagon and the Key. What the relationship between the two was, we can only guess. The Council did send teams to search the ruins of both the Order's and the Knight's known bases. Whatever they may have found...."

"Let me guess," Xander said. "Anything they found went boom."

"Most likely," Giles said. "I suppose we could have our people go out and do a more thorough search. But that would mean telling them what we are looking for. How many people in the Council do we tell that the Key still exists?"

"Gray was pretty clear that we should keep things quiet until we learn more," Willow said.

"I trust our people," Buffy said. "But we're spread thin now. We've already got a lot of Slayers working on this situation in the Wizarding world. I don't want to send even more people off on what could be wild goose chases. I want to have a least a reasonable chance of finding something before we pull any more teams off their current assignments."

"Research is also stretched pretty thin," Dawn noted. "With all the activity in Indonesia and the recent flare-ups in Cleveland we've been spending a lot of our time supporting the field offices. The people I'd trust most with a job like this I need where they are."

"We could go outside the Council," Willow said. "We could have Gray do the research."

"I don't know," Buffy said.

"I trust him Buffy," Willow said. "And quite honestly his contacts and resources are probably better than ours. We're still trying to make up ground from the old Council's reticence about working with anybody else."

"Tell me about it," Xander said. "How many times in the past couple of years have we needed to pull you in for magic support. A lot of people still don't feel comfortable working with us on anything less than an apocalypse."

"Too many times," Willow said. "But we just don't have enough trained people to provide magical support to all the teams."

"It's your life Dawn," Buffy said. "How do you want to do this?"

Dawn sat and thought for a few seconds. "I trust Gray. When I was in the Astral I sort of felt everybody else's essence for a second or so. Don't ask me how. But I know we can trust him."

Buffy nodded. "Then we'll go out there and talk to him together."

"Buffy," Willow said. "Threatening powerful mages is not very diplomatic."

"I'm not going to threaten him," Buffy said. "Not that much anyway. But I want to meet him myself before we tell him anything."

"Have you guys tried going back into the Astral plane?" Faith asked. "From what you've described, it sounds like you get a good vibe there D."

"I want to know more about what might happen before I try something like that again," Dawn replied. "Willow and I have been doing some meditation techniques to help me focus my mind and get in better touch with my body and spirit. I have felt something ever since I went into the Astral. Something buried beneath the surface."

"So we'll head out tomorrow to meet with Gray," Buffy said. "We'll need to spend the rest of the afternoon meeting with Slayers who've had dreams about the Wizarding world. That is the reason we said we were coming."

"If you two are going on a field trip," Xander said. "Then I'm coming with you. I want to meet this guy myself. And I'll be sure to pack a shovel."

"Xander," Dawn said. "The guys like a hundred. I'm not asking him out on a date. And like Willow said. Threatening powerful mages is not good karma."

"I take care of my girls," Xander said. "Besides if we're going to tell him something like this, we may have to make him an honorary Scooby. I am the only one qualified to preside over the Snoopy dance."

Giles starting shaking his head, "I will never get that image out of my head. Xander one does not ask a man of Gray's stature to do the 'Snoopy' dance."

"I spend my days hanging out with super powered women Giles," Xander replied. "You'd be surprised how persuasive I've become. Besides, I got Faith to do it."

"And we agreed to never discuss it again," Faith said.

"I still have the video," Xander shot back.

"There is a very fine line between blackmail and annoying me enough to make me rip your arms off," Faith smiled.

"I was just pointing out my powers of persuasion," Xander said. "Consider the matter closed."

Buffy smiled. Faith's initiation had been a fun night. "Ok, we have a plan. The three of us will go and talk with Gray tomorrow. No shovels. We'll tell everybody we're going out there to discuss the Wizard situation. Faith, you work with Faye on getting the new team up to speed. We're scheduled to head back to Cleveland in three days. Willow, I'm going to need you to come back with us. Alex agreed to the deal."

"Goody," Willow said. "Looks like I get to practice my skills at making government records go poof."

"Alright then," Buffy said. "Let's call Faye and Eric and bring the three of us up the speed on the Wizarding world."


	24. Chapter Twenty Three Questions and Cont...

Chapter Twenty Three – Questions and Contradictions

"Agent Cromwell," Director Buford began, "You've had a few days to review the Black files. What have you found?"

"I think I've found one of Riddle's moles in the Ministry," Cromwell responded. They were beginning the weekly staff meeting.

"What do you mean?" Director Buford.

"Well, judging by the files, Kinsley Shacklebolt is either the most incompetent cop on the planet or he's working for Riddle. And I know he's not incompetent."

"How can you be so sure it's not incompetence?" Marshall asked.

"Because I've read a number of the case files where Shacklebolt was either involved or the primary," Cromwell responded. "The man is a damn good cop. Up until now I would have said he was one of their best. He's professional, follows procedure and has the rare instinct to know when not to follow procedure. He's closed some tough cases. That's the reason he was assigned to find Black in the first place. He's definitely covering."

"Ok, can you explain what makes you so certain," Director Buford said. "The file looks pretty thick to me and according to our moles Shacklebolt has Aurors from all over the world chasing after Black."

"It's not so much what's in the files, as what's not in the files," Cromwell replied. "Shacklebolt is dispatching Aurors in response to any possible sighting. The odd thing is the number of sightings that come from 'anonymous' sources. It's true in any investigation this size you're going to get a lot of tips, many from unidentified sources. But not over three quarters of them. And in most of those cases you'll at least get enough information to track the source down. No such information appears the files. Add to that the lack of true follow ups. Shacklebolt dispatches people but he doesn't have them do very many interviews. It's like they're going through the motions because he knows there is nothing there to find."

"Anything else?" Director Buford said.

"The most telling omission is background information," Cromwell said. "Shacklebolt's never interviewed any of Black's former friends or associates. No interviews with surviving family members. Most notably, nobody went back to Azkaban and interviewed the other Death Eaters. I admit the odds on getting useful information out of them is low, but basic procedure says you at least try. For that matter he hasn't interviewed suspected Death Eaters or people who worked for Riddle who claimed they were under Imperious Curses. They could provide information on old safe houses, behaviors, habits any number of things that could lead to Black."

"How many friends can Black have left?" Marshall said. "He did kill two of his supposedly best friends from school."

"From reviewing old Hogwarts' yearbooks I know there is a forth member of his little group still out there," Cromwell replied. "Remus Lupin is still alive. But no one has interviewed him. In fact from what I've read in file there has been no contact at all with Lupin. If the guy who murdered two of my best friends was running around I'd be all over the cops everyday 'til they found him."

"Lupin?" Director Buford paused in thought. "Why does that name seem familiar?"

"He was one the revolving door DADA teachers at Hogwarts a couple of years ago," Cromwell replied. "He was forced out when they learned he was a werewolf."

"Now I remember," Director Buford replied. "Continue."

"There is one other big thing missing," Cromwell said. "No one has ever searched Black's former residences. That's police 101."

"Why haven't the other Aurors noticed any of this?" Lady Aydin asked.

"His team is in constant rotation," Cromwell responded. "I doubt he keeps anybody there long enough to see the pattern. Which is another indication that he's deliberately covering for Black. It's also fortunate that he reports directly to the Minister and not any of the senior Aurors. They'd almost certainly spot the holes in the files. Fudge on the other hand would just note that lots of stuff is being done. He's not a cop. He doesn't know what to look for."

"In other words the files are a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing," Director Buford said. "So how do you proceed from here?"

"It's really telling that nobody has searched Black's former residences," Cromwell said. "An omission like that, even a cursory examination of the file by a professional would notice. We know the Black family was loyal to Riddle. It's a fair guess that they made their homes available as safe houses for other Death Eaters. They're probably also protected by some serious concealment charms. With Shacklebolt at the Ministry I'd say Black is using them again."

"The Black family was one the first to move to London after the founding of the Enclaves," Lady Aydin said. "The location of their estates should be in our files," Lady Aydin shook her head. "Shacklebolt has people chasing all over the globe and Black might be right here in London."

"A couple of weeks ago a tip came into the Aurors about a possible sighting in London," Cromwell said. "According to the file Shacklebolt handled it personally and determined that the sighting was false and the trail cold."

"Cromwell," Director Buford nodded his head. "Check our archives for the location of the Black family's estates. We'll dispatch Agent Grayden to check them. Major Chisholm."

"Yes Sir," came the rapid response.

"I want a couple of your people to accompany him," Director Buford said. "Black murdered thirteen people in cold blood. This is strictly recon but I want to make sure we're prepared."

"Yes Sir," Major Chisholm replied. "I know just the lads for the job."

* * *

"So how are we doing," Willow asked. She had just returned from Cleveland the day before and was still working off the jet lag. She was meeting with core team dealing with Wizarding world. Eric and Faye were present along with a couple of other Slayers.

"Research located what we were looking for," Faye said. "I sent a couple of my Slayers to Romania to retrieve it."

"Jennifer called this morning," Eric said. "She said MI5 has a probable lead on Black's location. Hopefully we'll be able to actually start doing something soon."

Dawn came into the room at that moment. "Sorry I'm late guys. I was talking with the Rio office. Some weirdo sea demon popped up yesterday. We're still trying to identify it. Hey Willow," Dawn gave her a hug. "Sorry I didn't catch you when you got in yesterday. But I didn't want to get in Kennedy's way."

Willow blushed. "It was a happy homecoming. How are things looking on your front?"

"I've been going through the historical information MI5 provided about the Wizarding world," Dawn replied. "The more I read the more strange the reaction to Riddle seems."

"What do you mean?" Eric asked.

"The whole not being able to say the name Voldemort," Dawn started. "Aside from being kind of pathetic is way out character from the Wizarding worlds responses to similar threats in the past."

"Examples please," Willow said.

"Early 1940's a Wizard by the name of Grindelwald appears on the scene," Dawn said. "Very dangerous. Gathers a large following, begins attacking people. Kind of similar to Riddle now. But unlike Riddle, the various Ministries begin a coordinated response. There are taskforces set up to track down and capture his followers. The population is kept informed. Civilians actively aid the Aurors in finding Grindelwald's followers. Basically a very robust response to a serious threat. Within two years most of his organization was broken. Grindelwald himself was on the run. This Albus Dumbledore guy, working with the Aurors, tracked him and his remaining followers down and finished them off."

"Now contrast that with Riddle," Dawn said. "When he first appeared, there was no coordinated response. Most Ministries didn't acknowledge the problem existed. He was able to cement his position and grow his organization unmolested. Likewise when everybody finally did recognize the danger, its like they just rolled over and played dead. The Ministry in London was paralyzed. Obviously heavily infiltrated by Riddle's followers. Similar problems were present at the other Ministries as well. During his terror campaign almost no Death Eaters were ever captured. In fact only Dumbledore, Elder Sinclair and an Auror named Moody are credited with capturing multiple Death Eaters during that time."

"So within the course of single generation they went from competent to rollovers," Eric said. "You're right. That's weird."

"It gets better," Dawn said. "After Riddle disappeared the Ministries responses went back to being competent. There was a coordinated effort to locate Death Eaters. Granted, a lot of cases turned into jokes and some bad guys clearly got away but the organization was broken. They were forced completely underground."

"And it looks like something similar is happening now," Willow said. "The Ministry is paralyzed and doing nothing. They don't even acknowledge the threat. So what is it about Riddle that makes him so unique? Why does he get a response like this when nobody else has?"

"All good questions," Dawn said. "Ones I don't have answers too yet. It is worth noting that the increase in 'pranks' began almost three years ago. But they were being reported and prosecuted. The cover-ups along with the severity of the 'pranks' started right after the 'Dark Mark' appeared. Like some kind of switch was turned on."

"Here's another question," Monique, one of the other Slayers, said. "Why hasn't Lady Aydin informed the Ministry of what's going on a make them acknowledge the threat?"

"A couple of reasons," Dawn said. "One, the odds are the Ministry won't believe her. We're muggles, and from what I understand they don't think we know anything about magic and couldn't tell them anything useful. At least they haven't believed anything MI5's tried to warn them about in the past. Two, MI5 is certain Riddle's people have heavily infiltrated the Ministry. Anything we tell them, he'll know in a matter of hours. Our chief advantage is surprise. Working with the Ministry means no surprise."

"We are talking about going in and potentially killing some of their people," Monique noted. "That can't be Kosher."

"Actually under the terms of the Covenant it is," Dawn said.

"I can't wait to hear this explanation," Monique said.

"Under the terms of the Covenant, the Crown has absolute authority of life and death over everyone living inside the Enclaves," Dawn said. "It's a power they've only rarely exercised over the centuries. The most recent being the assassination of several Death Eaters thirteen years ago. The Wizarding world is part of the British Commonwealth. The people living inside of the enclaves, regardless of what country they live in now are, technically speaking, subject to Crown law. The Crown has been content to let Wizards govern themselves so long as they stay within the enclaves. But the original agreement still stands."

"In other words," Eric said. "So long as Lady Aydin has authorization from the Queen and the Prime Minister, MI5 can pretty much do whatever they want to in the enclaves and Wizarding world has no legal recourse."

"That's it in a nutshell," Dawn replied. "The Crown was pretty crafty when they negotiated the original deal with the Wizards. The major restriction on the Crown's ability to act was the compulsion spell. They were limited to using only those under the direct authority of the Crown's representative. With that out of the way, MI5 has much greater freedom of action."

"Ok," Willow said. "Since it sounds like we're going to be able to go ahead with our plan soon. I'll start setting up the house."

"You've taken care of the paperwork?" Eric asked.

"There's absolutely no way to link it back to the Council," Willow replied. "I just got a chance to practice my 'cleaning' spells so when we leave there will be no trace that we were ever there."

"How long until we're ready?" Dawn asked.

"My team should be back in two days," Faye said.

"We'll have the house set up in by the end of the week," Willow said.

"Then by next week we can pull the trigger," Dawn said. "All we'll need is word that MI5 found Black and is ready to make their move on him."


	25. Chapter Twenty Four – Searching and Ques...

Chapter Twenty Four – Searching and Questioning

Agent Grayden closed his eyes as the car turned onto Grimmauld Place. This was the third of the Black estates to check. It had taken Cromwell a couple of days digging through the archives to find out where the Black family had established their estates in London. It had taken a few more days to correspond those locations with modern London. The Black family had apparently covered all of their estates with unplottable charms. Lady Aydin's family had figure out the means to counter such spells centuries ago. But they were time consuming.

So far the other two estates had come up blank. The people living in them were distant relations separated by multiple generations. There was also no indication of any protective magic beyond that of the Covenant.

Grayden was riding in the back seat of the car with two of Major Chisholm's SAS team sitting in the front seat. He began to work through the proper spells to see past the protective magic of the Covenant. Being under the direct supervision of the Crown's representative meant he had the capacity to use his magic to sense and see into the enclaves. It was not an easy set of spells to perform and he could only do it a couple of times a day.

"Number 12 should be coming up any time now," the driver said.

Grayden nodded and whispered the final incantation to put himself in the proper frame of mind.

"It should be right up there," the driver said. "But I don't see a number 12."

"Relax Corporal," the other man said. "Remember the concealment magic. We're not supposed to see it. That's agents Grayden's job. So keep quiet and let him do it."

"Yes Sir," came the reply.

The car slowed as it approached the point where number 12 Gimmauld was supposed to be. Grayden reached out with his senses and smiled. He could feel the barrier around the house. There were multiple protective charms and concealment spells. Many of them felt as it they had been strengthened recently. Strengthened by a wizard with a considerable amount of power.

There, he could feel the power of a fidelous charm covering the house. It was erected within the last few months. That fit the timetable of Riddle's revival. He reached out past the fidelous and other protective magic to the house itself. It was being lived in. The house radiated magic. He could sense active spells being used. Wand magic.

The car drove past the house and resumed its normal speed. Grayden relaxed. He began to work through the spells that he had sensed. The protective magic around the house was quite elaborate. At least three of the spells seemed to be set up to only allow blood relations or those they permitted entry into the house. Such spells were usually keyed to direct bloodlines. Sirius Black was the only surviving direct heir to this branch of the Black family. The spells would have been to be keyed to him.

Which meant if the house was being used, he had to be the one using it. He pulled himself out of the trance.

"I think we found our target," he said.

* * *

"Lt. Colonel Riley Finn," Riley said after picking up the phone on his desk.

"Colonel Finn," came the reply. "Major Chisholm. Congratulations on the promotion."

"Thank you Major. I haven't heard from you since that dust up in Iraq a few months ago," Riley said.

"Yes, you'd think after all the training films people would learn to be a touch more careful opening certain crypts," Major Chisholm responded.

"In their defense," Riley said. "They did have legitimate reason to believe there was a weapons cache inside. They were just wrong about what types of weapons."

"Quite."

"So Major. To what do I owe the pleasure of the this call?"

"I need to pick your brain on the subject of Slayers," Major Chisholm said. "We have a bit of situation here and it looks like my lads are going to be working with a Slayer or two. I need to know what to expect so I can get them prepared."

"I going to assume you can't give me any details," Riley said. "But it's got to be something serious if the Councils agreed to work directly with you. They're very reluctant to cooperate with any of our teams."

"We were never foolish enough to try and assassinate a Slayer," Major Chisholm said. "Your superiors botched things rather badly with that Initiative fiasco."

"I heard a little about the tongue lashing the President got from your Prime Minister after that," Riley said. "And I was there when General Collins got that call from Lady Aydin. I've never seen the man get so rattled. You have my respect for dealing with her on regular basis."

"It can be a chore," Major Chisholm said. "It is generally best to stay on her good side. So what can you tell me about working with Slayers?"

"First thing," Riley said. "Any notions or problems you or any member of your team have about women in combat, forget them. Believe me Major, I doubt you will ever meet a more pure example of a warrior than a Slayer. They never look it and a lot times they don't act it. But don't let your eyes or first impressions fool you. When a fight starts, its like nothing you've ever seen before."

"Most of my lads won't have a problem with that," Major Chisholm said. "They've been working with Special Projects long enough to know appearances don't mean very much. I do have a couple of recent transfers I'll need to have a quiet talk with. Good lads, but they haven't adjusted to strangeness of the supernatural yet."

"Another thing to keep in mind Major," Riley said. "And this is a little more delicate. Don't think that a Slayer has to prove herself to you. The odds are, you're going to have to prove yourself to her. These women have been fighting for five years. Some of them have faced things that could slaughter both of our teams combined. It's little hard to accept some times, but when it comes to the supernatural, we're the clean up crews. We get the small stuff."

"That's been true for centuries Colonel," Major Chisholm mused. "The Crown figured out a long time ago. The Champions are meant for the large battles. Our job is to make their job easier."

"I wish my superiors had figured that out earlier," Riley said. "One more piece of advice Major. Something I didn't figure out until it was too late. Probably the highest compliment you will ever get from a Slayer is her trusting you enough to watch her back in fight. You understand what I'm saying Major."

Major Chisholm nodded his head. "That I understand perfectly. So are they're any non-classified stories you can share about your experiences working with Slayers?"

"There are a couple," Riley said. "I can't repeat the embarrassing ones. Too much risk they can be traced back to me and I really don't want to spend the next few months in the hospital. Let me tell you about this one time in Sunnydale...."

* * *

"I can't believe you're going away from the office Giles," Willow said.

"You were one of the people who pointed out that it was important for the senior members of the Council to put in appearances at the field offices occasionally," Giles said. "And, as they have reminded me repeatedly over the last few weeks, Buffy and Faith have done a disproportionate amount of the traveling. As have you. It is past time I checked in our facilities myself. It should only take a few days. I'll just be going to Rio and Cleveland with a brief stop over at Guardian's New York office."

"What will the paperwork do without you?" Dawn said.

"Willow will be handling most of it," Giles said.

"I will?" Willow said in mock horror. "I really don't want to be in charge that much Giles."

"Nonetheless, while you all complain about jet setting around the world, I do all the paperwork. So if I jet set, you do the paperwork."

"It was Buffy and Faith that complained," Willow pouted. "Why am I being punished."

"It wasn't Buffy or Faith that booked the tickets without telling me first," Giles replied.

"Who told?" Willow said.

"I am not without resources Willow," Giles smiled. "I know a great deal more about what happens around here then you realize. A great deal more."

"Give up now Willow," Dawn said. "I think he may be going into Ripper mode."

"Alright I surrender," Willow said. "Is anything else you need us to work on while your gone."

"Just make sure to keep me informed with matters dealing with the Wizarding world," Giles said. "I read Dawn's analysis comparing the wizards reactions to historical threats vs. their reaction to Riddle," he nodded to Dawn. "You are correct, we are missing something. Something connected to Riddle that makes him unique."

"We need to find a way to develop our own contacts in the Wizarding world," Dawn said. "Jennifer Sinclair is the only wand wielder we've been able to talk to and work with."

"Sophia said she will try to schedule a meeting with Jennifer's grandfather Elder Sinclair," Willow said. "Maybe he can arrange for some additional contacts. It can't be that hard. It's not like we're looking to infiltrate the government. All I want to do is learn more about how their world works first hand. Written reports just don't cut it."

"What about the possibility of entering the enclaves directly?" Giles asked.

"The individual estates and homes we could probably penetrate," Dawn said. "But the larger enclaves, like Diagon alley or Hogsmeade up in Scotland, have very specific entry points. Those are well protected not only by concealment spells but charms to block entry by non-wizards. According to Sophia her family found ways to bypass those protective spells a long time ago. But I don't feel real comfortable using any of them just yet."

Giles shook his head. "200,000 people. All of them capable of using magic. I still have a hard time grasping the reality of it."

"We all do," Dawn said. "Demon's are almost easier to believe than some of this stuff. They do almost everything with magic."

"There is one question we haven't asked yet," Willow said.

"What's that?" Dawn asked.

"What's the price?"

"Excuse me?" Dawn responded.

"Like you said, they do almost everything with magic," Willow paused to look both Dawn and Giles in the eyes. "We all know magic comes with a price tag. So the real question we should be asking is, what price does the Wizarding world pay to use all that magic?"


	26. Chapter Twenty Five Committed

Chapter Twenty Five – Committed

"Lady Aydin, your nine o'clock has arrived," Teresa's voice came over the speaker.

"Show her in," Lady Aydin replied. Her quarterly meetings with the Ministry's appointed representative were rarely fun. But they did provide her with the rare opportunity to learn about what was happening at the Ministry directly. Sir Ian's moles provided excellent information, but there simply was no substitute for direct observation.

The door opened and a middle-aged witch entered the office. She was wearing a badly mismatched business suit. Lady Aydin resisted the urge to shake her head. You'd think working in the middle of downtown London witches would have a better sense of fashion she thought. Instead she put on a pleasant smile and nodded to one of the chairs in front of desk.

"Assistant Minister Mockbridge," Lady Aydin said. "Please have a seat."

The women nodded and took the offered seat. She had been appointed to the position of liaison to the British government because of her brother's position and as a reward for the loyalty she showed to Minister Fudge.

"Lady Aydin here is the quarterly report," she handed over a parchment scroll.

Lady Aydin took the scroll, untied to cord to unroll it and began quickly scanning the contents.

"I've been noticing over the past few months a rather steep increase in the numbers of 'pranks' some wizards seem to enjoy partaking in," Lady Aydin said.

"I have not noticed such an increase Lady Aydin," Mockbridge stated. "Perhaps if you could explain."

"Yes of course," Lady Aydin said. "Note here several instances of backed up plumbing in August. I know at least one of those instances resulted in a man being hospitalized. This is second incident of someone being injured that you've reported this year," they've left out the three others we know about, Lady Aydin thought. "You've also reported a sharp increase in smaller pranks," while leaving out many of the larger ones.

"I can assure you My Lady, the Ministry does not tolerate such behavior," Mockbridge replied. "Those responsible will be found and properly punished. What you are seeing is just an anomaly. It will pass as such things always do."

"You are probably correct," Lady said. Now to drop the bomb. "But I can't help but notice that the last time this sort of statistical blip occurred was at the same time Voldemort declared himself."

Mockbridge visibly flinched. "You-know-who is gone," she said. "I don't understand how you can even bring him up."

"Perhaps it is just an odd coincidence," Lady Aydin said. "But I have heard some rumors that make my government nervous. Rumors that Voldemort may have returned."

Again Mockbridge flinched. Lady Aydin had to suppress the urge to shake her head again or even smile. Watching the witch's reaction to the mere name Voldemort was almost humorous.

"My Lady, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, is gone. The Ministry has assured your government of this on many occasions," Mockbridge said. "What sources are telling you this lie?"

"As I said, it is merely rumors," Lady Aydin replied. "I don't want to get anyone in trouble."

Mockbridge wondered if Dumbledore had gone behind the Minister's back to foster trouble with the muggles. If he had, then Fudge was right, the old man had finally cracked.

"Lady Aydin, it would be most helpful to learn how such lies came to your ears," Mockbridge said. "The Ministry wants to make certain that we provide your government with the truth."

"Of course you do," Lady Aydin said. "Perhaps you can explain another incident to me then."

"What incident Lady Aydin?"

"Early in August, the police and hospitals in Surrey received reports from several people living on Privet Drive about a sudden feeling of dread. Several people called in sick and were unable to go work for several days," Lady Aydin explained. "The reports seem very consistent with exposure to, I believe you call them Dementors," Lady Aydin needed to remember to thank Elder Sinclair for informing her that Dementors had been turned loose outside the enclaves.

It had to be Dumbledore, Mockbridge thought. He's the one who foisted the lie about Dementors on the Wizengamot to get Potter off.

"Lady Aydin I have no idea what you are talking about," Mockbridge said. "I can assure you, no Dementors have left Azkaban since we called them off the search for Sirius Black."

"And how is the search for Black progressing?" Lady Aydin asked.

"Our best people are tracking him," Mockbridge replied. "It will only be a matter of time until he is captured."

Lady Aydin nodded. "That is good to know. But you still haven't explained what happened on Privet Drive in Surrey."

"Again no Dementors ever went to Surrey," Mockbridge stated.

"I have the hospital and police reports right here," Lady Aydin waved her hand over a stack of papers on her desk. "Something happened. Something not normal. I expect an explanation."

"Harry Potter lives on Privet Dr.," Mockbridge said.

"Potter? Oh yes, the boy who stopped Voldemort while he was just a baby after all your Aurors and Ministries failed," Lady Aydin said. She then mentally kicked herself. It wasn't good to rub that fact in their faces. Mockbridge had a tendency to bring out her nasty side.

"Yes that Harry Potter," Mockbridge said in an annoyed voice. "I'm afraid the fame has gotten to him. The boy is becoming quite difficult. We've taken too soft an approach to him in the past out of gratitude. It's most likely he caused whatever happened that day. The Ministry is already taking steps to make certain he is kept under better control."

"Then I guess that resolves the matter," Lady Aydin said. "I assume you need to get back to the Ministry. Unless there are other matters you wish to discuss."

"I would still like to know how rumors regarding you-know-who came to your ears," Mockbridge said.

"You have assured me they are false," Lady Aydin said. "I see no reason to get anyone in trouble over a few rumors."

"I really must insist," this could be a chance to get Dumbledore. Fudge will shower her with rewards.

"No," Lady Aydin replied. "I am under no obligation to share my sources with you. When I next speak with them, I will correct their misconceptions about Voldemort."

"Rumors about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are dangerous," Mockbridge said. Lady Aydin said you-know-who's name so casually. The woman is as cracked as Dumbledore, Mockbridge thought. "The Ministry has an interest in making sure they are stamped out. We don't want to cause a panic."

"I believe we have reached an impasse," Lady Aydin said. She looked directly into Mockbridge's eyes. "I will not give you names of my sources. The matter is closed. And this meeting is done."

Mockbridge visibly wilted under Lady Aydin's powerful gaze. She looked away. "Very well. Please tell them they are wrong. Good day My Lady."

Mockbridge got up and hurriedly left the office.

Lady Aydin relaxed. She mentally reviewed the meeting. It would seem MI5's moles were correct. The Ministry was in complete denial about Riddle's return. They were also desperate to stamp out rumors. And lying about the Dementors, that got her attention. At least nine people had to go into the hospital to seek treatment. The Elder had informed her that it was most likely a Ministry official that had released them in an effort to get rid of Potter.

The Ministry was useless and badly corrupted. She picked up the phone and dialed Sir Ian's number.

"Sir Ian," she said. "I just completed my quarterly meeting with Ms Mockbridge ... Yes it was most enlightening ... You have full authorization to execute your plan to go after Black and inform the Council they are a go as well ... One more thing Ian. We need to start making long term plans for how to deal with Ministry ... I feel I might be time for the Crown to exert it's authority ... No not immediately. Riddle needs to be dealt with first. But it seems from recent events we can no longer rely on the Ministry ... That is my feeling. I will be discussing the matter with the Queen and the Prime Minister ... Yes, I know. As I said this will be a long-term project. I just want you to start thinking about it ... Good day Ian."

Lady Aydin hung up the phone. So much for this being a simple matter of removing one dark wizard. But if the Council was right, the Wizarding world's isolation was slowly killing them. Steps needed to be taken. Now she just had to figure out what those steps were.

Whatever the consequences, she was committed now. Within a few days MI5 and the Slayers would make their initial strikes against Riddle. She felt the tingle on the back of neck. The world was going to change.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six Final Preparations

Chapter Twenty Six – Final Preparations

"Grayden, good to see you up and walking around again," Jennifer said.

Grayden nodded his head. "I hate doing that spell. It takes a lot out of guy," it had taken almost a week of rest to get back up to form. "Three times in two days. Not fun. Looks like I'm going to be called on again."

"You managed to detail all the protective magic that surrounds the house," Jennifer said. "But we're still working on how to penetrate it fast enough to take whoever is inside by surprise."

"That's going to be tricky," Grayden said. "Wand magic may be easier to detect, but its nature makes it harder to remove. Those protective spells are pretty heavily interlocked. Just forcing past them might end up destroying the house."

"We know," Jennifer said. "My grandfather sent over several books with counter spells and the Council has loaned us one of their best warlocks. Between him, Talerie and myself we should be able to find a way around the spells. It will take a few more days though."

"A warlock?" Grayden was puzzled. "Why isn't Ms Rosenberg helping?"

"She has a number of other responsibilities," Jennifer answered. "She is also busy setting up the Council's strike. Besides, we have no idea what would happen if a witch of her power were to enter one of the enclaves. The barriers were crafted specifically to keep people like her out. You and Talerie are both covered as the Crown's representative and, no offense, neither of you is in her league."

"None taken," Grayden responded. "Let me take a look at what you've got so far. I may not be the spell caster you are, but I do have my moments."

"Come on," Jennifer responded. "We're set up in Talerie's office."

* * *

"Two people just popped up in front of the house," Lt. Cranston said. "One man, black and a women, short, looks like orange and purple hair. They just disappeared into the enclave. Nothing on the external mikes. Guess they used one of those portkey things."

The other man in the surveillance truck pulled up a still shot of the two on one of his monitors. "No ID on the women," he said. "Facial recognition got a hit on the man. It's Shacklebolt."

"I guess that's our confirmation that he's working for Riddle," Cranston said. "I'll pass that on to 5. That makes only three people we've picked up entering or leaving the house from the street in last four days. Still no sign of Black."

"Too many ways in and out of the house that we can't monitor," the other man said. "I hate doing surveillance on magic wielders."

* * *

"So what do you make of it Willow?" Faye asked. "Took longer then planned. Suzzette and her team had a hard time getting it. Five days searching the forest and then an hour fighting past the demons guarding it."

Willow closed her eyes and passed her hands over the scepter. "Definitely feels like wand magic created it," she said. She opened her eyes and pointed to a mark at the base. "And that's the symbol of D'Karsh."

"So you think this will entice Riddle's people out of hiding?" Eric asked.

"They've gone to great lengths to get a hold of D'Karsh's other artifacts," Willow said. "From what Dawn could learn, this scepter was supposedly one the last things he created. I think they may want to get a hold of it. Take the pictures."

"Do we know what this thing is for?" Eric asked as he picked up the digital camera.

"Not yet," Willow replied. "All Dawn learned was that D'Karsh took steps to make sure it didn't wind up in the hands of his student and was kept away from other Wizards. It's popped from time to time over the centuries in various peoples' collections. But just as an oddity. Those demons got it after they killed the last owner and ransacked his belongings a few years ago."

* * *

"I think that's got it," Jennifer said. "We're going to have to coordinate the timing of the spells carefully."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Grayden replied. "I'm worried about how long it's going to take. Someone in the house might spot us."

"They haven't shown any interest in the surveillance vans," Talerie said. "We should be able pull the truck up close enough to the protective barriers. Working inside they won't see us."

"We're still not going to have that long until the Wizard who strengthened the protective charms notices that they've collapsed," Grayden pointed out. "Even isolating the enclave."

"Major Chisholm is confident this will be a fast hit and run strike," Talerie replied. "We should be out in less then ten minutes. Fifteen on the outside."

"I'll inform Director Buford we're ready," Jennifer said. "We'll have to time it with the Council's strike. I figure two days to set everything up."

"Sounds about right," Grayden said. "Two days and Riddle won't know what hit him."

* * *

The clerk looked up when the shop bell at Buckland's entrance went off. He was squib. The Wizard who owned the shop hired him to run the operation on Charing Cross Road so he didn't have to constantly move back and forth through the tunnel connecting it to his shop in Knockturn Alley. He also got along better with the muggle customers than his boss.

No one the Wizarding world knew about Buckland's except the owner, his employees and a few outside 'investors'. The store was illegal. Most of what they sold as antiques were actually spent charms, old portkeys and other useless knick-knacks. The stuff was supposed to be inert. And if something bad did happen, it would only happen to muggles foolish enough to buy it. They used the muggle currency to purchase muggle artifacts that were illegal in the Wizarding world. Items that they resold, at a substantial markup, at the shop in Knockturn Alley. A rather lucrative practice.

A young women entered the store. She was dressed casually and appeared very nervous.

"Hi," she said. Her accent marked her as American. "Are you in charge?"

"I run the store," the clerk answered. "How may I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could give me some information on an old antique I inherited from my grandfather," she said. "He died a couple of months ago and left it too me. I've been trying forever to figure out what it is. Someone told me your shop specializes in this sort of thing."

The Clerk was intrigued. Buckland's kept a deliberately low profile among the London antique community. They may rely on muggles as customers but they didn't want to be swamped by them. There was however a few items Buckland's made it known they were looking for. The Clerk didn't know why. And he was smart enough not to ask. A nosey squib didn't last very long in Knockturn Alley.

"Do you have the item with you?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "It's back at my grandfather's house. I do have a couple of pictures." She took the photos out of her pocket and handed them to the clerk.

He looked through them. He paused on one them. It was close up of a mark on the base. His boss had told him to keep an eye out for that mark. He didn't know what it meant. But Buckland was very clear he wanted any item that bore that mark.

"This is an interesting piece," he said. "Would you be interested in selling it?"

"No," the women replied. She noticed how his eyes lit up when he saw the symbol. She heard his heartbeat increase. Gotcha, she thought. This was one of Debra's first solo assignments and the first time the powers had sent her a vision. So far she was doing well. "This is one last things of my grandfather's I have. All I really want to know is its history."

He nodded. Why buy when you can steal. "If you give me your contact information I can research the item and send you what I learn."

He watched, as she seemed to think through his suggestion.

"Well," she said. "I'm going to be leaving town tomorrow to head back to the states. I'm currently staying at grandfather's house," she paused and fumbled around in her purse. "Here's the address and phone number. If you can send me anything this afternoon or tomorrow morning, I'll get it before I leave."

"I'll see what I can do," the clerk replied. "Do you mind if I hold onto these photos?"

"Not a problem. Thanks for your help," Debra turned and left the store. The clerk followed her to the door. After she left, he flipped over the closed sign and locked the door. He had to speak to Buckland immediately.

* * *

"M-master," Pettigrew said.

"Yes Wormtail, what is it," Voldemort spat in response.

"Buckland just came," Pettigrew said nervously. "He brought these," he handed the photos carefully to his master. Voldemort looked through them.

"Yess," Voldemort smiled. Pettigrew fought the urge to step back. "Fortune truly smiles on us. Summon Lucius. I have a task for him. A way to prove his loyalty after turning his back on me for all those years. And you shall accompany him Wormtail. You've proven capable of thievery, if little else."

"Yes M-master," Pettigrew bowed. "Buckland said that the woman who possesses the scepter will be leaving tomorrow. He doesn't know to where."

"Then hurry Wormtail," Voldemort said. "I want the scepter retrieved tonight."

"Yes Master, Wormtail will do as you ask."

"As it should be," Voldemort smiled again. Wormtail backed slowly away from Voldemort and turned to summon Lucius Malfoy. "Wormtail, one more thing."

Wormtail turned back towards Voldemort. "Yes Master."

"Make certain that Snape hears nothing of this."

Wormtail did not know why, but Voldemort was very clear about what Snape was to be told and what he was not to be told. Snape was never to learn about Buckland or the shop. He was kept out of certain meetings. All quietly of course. To most Death Eaters Snape looked to be highly trusted member of the inner circle. Only those part of the true inner circle knew the truth. Wormtail did not ask questions though. Reasons did not matter to him. His Master ordered it. It would be done.

"As you wish Master," Wormtail again turned to fulfill his Master's desire.


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven First Strike

Chapter Twenty Seven – First Strike

"The opening moves are tonight," Lady Aydin said.

"Your plan seems sound," Elder Sinclair responded. "I wish to be present when you begin questioning Black. I remember him and his friends from when I occasionally lectured at Hogwarts," back when Albus and I still spoke to each other as friends. "I wish to see what changed the boy from loyal friend to betrayer."

"That can be arranged," Lady Aydin replied. "One other thing. Here is the information you requested regarding Lily Evans. Do you mind telling me what you are looking for?"

The Elder took the small binder from Lady Aydin. "I find it interesting that Voldemort chose Potter as his enemy in the revival spell. He has many enemies. Targeting such a high profile one was risky. It's not like Voldemort to take risks without good reason. I wish to determine if there is anything unique about Potter that would compel Voldemort into making such a bold move."

Besides, the Elder thought, I must learn why Albus is so interested in him. His studies into the nature of the Avada Kedavra gave him a starting point. But it still didn't explain everything. And why was Albus having the Order guard the Department of Mysteries? Both Albus and Tom knew the truth about the Department. Too many questions.

Lady Aydin nodded her head at the explanation. She knew it wasn't the full truth. She spotted a few interesting names in the Evan's family tree. As much as Special Projects may depend on him for a link to the Wizarding world, Lady Aydin knew Elder Sinclair had his own agenda. Her uncle had discerned some of it from reading the currents and she could make her own guesses regarding the rest. For now their goals coincided.

"Very well," she said. "I will contact you when we have Black and the others."

"My thanks Lady Aydin," Sinclair nodded his head and left.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew and three others appeared outside a small house. They were all dressed in their full Death Eater Regalia. Mafloy spent a few moments studying the grounds. The house was located in village a few miles outside London. It was on a relatively large lot with a large amount of greenery. There was little chance anyone outside the property seeing anything out of the ordinary. Excellent.

He looked through the window to see a young women sitting at the dining room table leafing through some papers. He raised the special glasses he carried and looked through them. He saw four other women in the house. Two upstairs in one of the bedrooms talking and two others in the sitting room on the first floor. He smiled. They were all young and attractive. Not only would he fulfill his master's desire but this evening also promised to provide some true entertainment. The one in the kitchen, a brunette, quite lovely.

"Pucey, Goyle you take the ones in the upstairs bedroom," Malfoy said. "Pettigrew, Flint, take the two in the living room. I shall deal personally with the one the one in the kitchen. Remember we need to know where the scepter is, so take your time with them," three of men smiled with him, Pettigrew just looked nervous.

"The Dark Lord wants the scepter," Pettigrew said. "W-we do not have time to indulge."

"Silence Wormtail," Malfoy spat. "They are only muggles. They only thing they are good for is indulgence. We will retrieve the scepter for the Dark Lord. But I intend to enjoy the experience. Get ready. We go now."

The five disappeared with a loud popping sound.

* * *

Inside the house Willow smiled as she sensed the five wizards appear. They were earlier than she had expected. It was still only eight. An impatient bunch. She clicked the button on her cell phone to alert Eric and Faye that first strike had begun. She then mentally alerted the Slayers in the house. Kennedy nodded back to her from her chair on the other side of the room.

Willow had spent a great deal of time with Jennifer Sinclair watching her cast spells. She was confident in her ability to deal with these wand wielders. They all radiated power at about Jennifer's level. All five apparated into the house.

Two men appeared in the bedroom accompanied by a loud cracking noise. They raised their wands to strike.

"Burn," Willow said in barely a whisper. Both men shouted in surprise as their wands suddenly burst into flames and disintegrated. Willow didn't have the Wizarding world's scruples about destroying wands.

Kennedy was already on her feet and reached both men just as their wands burst into flames. They never had a chance to react. It was a muggle house. No one was supposed to fight back. They were both down and unconscious within seconds.

Willow waived her hand and spoke again, "Come." Various items started flying out of the men's robes and came to a rest in a pile next to them. Willow stripped them of everything that radiated magic.

* * *

Malfoy had planned it so he would apparate behind the young woman. He was preparing to say the imperious curse as he appeared. He just had time to register that the woman was no longer sitting at the chair.

Debra had been reviewing some notes for her political science class the next day. A couple of more credits and she would graduate. She felt Willow's mental warning and braced herself. She heard and felt the air shifting behind her. She knew what it was from Jennifer Sinclair's demonstrations of apparition. She was out of her chair and moving just as the loud crack could be heard.

Malfoy caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. Then he felt pain. He heard a crack, from the pain he figured it was from his arm. His hand opened and he dropped his wand. He recognized the brunette as she spun in front of him. She moved too fast. More pain exploded through his chest and then his back as he slammed into the wall.

He blinked back the tears in his eyes. His right arm hung uselessly at his side, his chest was on fire and he could just make out through the blur his wand lying on the ground out of his reach. He started fumbling with his left hand. Every movement hurt. He had to reach his portkey. He didn't get the chance. He saw the women coming at him. Then he saw blackness.

* * *

Pettigrew and Flint didn't fair much better. Both Slayers sensed them before they could get their bearings after apparating into the sitting room. It was just too fast. If they had been expecting resistance, had known what they were confronting, they might have been prepared. Had time to cast defensive spells. Do something.

But this was muggle house. Flint was thinking about the fun he would have with the attractive young muggles before killing them. He wasn't expecting a foot slam into face, followed by unconsciousness.

Pettigrew did a little better. He was nervous by nature and therefore cautious. He jumped back the moment he noticed that the women were not sitting on the couch. But that was all he had time to do before the Slayer was on him. She knocked his wand away first. Then slammed him to the ground. He felt pain. He had to get away. He concentrated for a moment and changed.

"What the hell?!?" he heard a women's voice. "Willow!! Seal the house! One of these guys just turned into a rat!"

Pettigrew wasn't paying attention he was dashing towards the open door. He thought he was free until his head hit some kind of barrier. A magical barrier? In a muggle house? Pettigrew didn't have time to think through the implications before his world turned black.

"Got him," Ronni said. She was holding a wastebasket upside down over the rat/wizard. "Ok, who forgot to warn us they could do that?"

* * *

"Ugly little rat," Kennedy said staring at the creature through the glass. Ronni had managed to find an old fish bowl in the closet. They had converted it into a cage for the rat. "You don't see that many three footed rats running around."

"We can deal with that later," Willow said. "The vans are here. We need to clear the house and have a concerned 'neighbor' phone the police. I want it to look like these guys got what they wanted and then disappeared."

"And Riddle will think some of his guys turned traitors," Kennedy said. "I know the plan," she studied the rat. "You know, he gives off a vide that's kind of like the one I get off werewolves. None of the other four feel the same. I wonder how many of these wizards can change like this."

"Later, honey," Willow said. "I want to check in with Faye and Eric. They should have started the raid on Black's house a few minutes after I signaled them. That means they should be hitting the place any second now."

"Right," Kennedy replied as Willow motioned her out the door. She looked over to where the Slayers were loading the other four unconscious and tied up wizards into on the vans. "I wonder how upset these guys will be when they learn the scepter was never even in the house."

"Probably pretty mad," Willow replied. She closed and locked the door to the house. The house was still in disarray. Overturned furniture, broken cabinets, ransacked rooms.

When the police arrived a few minutes later they would see all the evidence of a robbery and possible kidnapping or murder. There was blood on the floor in the kitchen. A check would find that it was match for the owner of the house. A young woman who had just inherited the place from her grandfather.

That was what the papers would report the next morning after a few leaks from the police. The detective in charge of the case was an old friend of Jerry Cromwell's from back during Cromwell's days as a detective. He was the only one who knew the investigation would lead nowhere.

He didn't know what MI5 was up to. Truth be told, he didn't want to. But he trusted Jerry. He was impressed by the paper trail MI5 had set up. He'd never seen such detailed records on a fictitious person just pop up seemingly over night. Five had obviously hired some really skilled hackers recently.


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight Second Strike

Chapter Twenty Eight – Second Strike  
  
"We go tonight," Major Chisholm addressed his team. "Let's review one more time. Our target is this man," Major Chisholm held up a picture. "Sirius Black. You all know, he betrayed and allowed his best friend to be murdered. He then killed thirteen innocent people one of whom was another of his best friends. Five wants him alive for questioning. Given how dangerous he is, we take no chances. If the tasers don't work and Black resists, we are authorized to use lethal force."  
  
Major Chisholm looked his men over. "We're going to have some new people going in with us. You've all met Faye Haughton and you all know what a Slayer can do. She'll take point entering the house. Her Watcher, Eric Travers, along with Agents Grayden and Sinclair will be coming in with the second team. Talerie will stay in the truck to monitor the wards. Our current estimate says there are two to five other people in the house. We can't be certain because monitoring floo activity is unreliable. Our preference is to take anyone else in the house alive. But again, take no chances," Major Chisholm held up a stick. "This is a loaded gun. Treat anyone carrying one of these accordingly."  
  
He continued. "Remember, communications won't work in the enclaves. So keep visual contact with your partner at all times. This is a fast hit a run. We get Black, we get out. Everyone clear."  
  
"Yes Sir," came the shouted reply.  
  
"Very well," Major Chisholm said. "Weapons and equipment check in ten minutes. We leave for the staging area in twenty."

* * *

Jennifer was watching Talerie and Grayden work. They had pulled the truck up as close to the house as they dared. The three of them were sitting in the back in the center of a mystical circle. Four SAS troops were stationed with them for security. They had been working for nearly two hours sorting through the protective magic around the house and preparing to bring it down.  
  
It was a delicate process. Technically, they could just crash the magical protections with one large hit and force their way through. But that would alert everyone inside and set off the protective triggers built into the spells. Most likely summoning the other Death Eaters. Surprise was their primary advantage, so they needed to take the spells apart carefully.  
  
Major Chisholm's A team was stationed in two vans parked around the block from 12 Grimmauld Place. A back up team had taken over one of the houses across the street from the Black residence and was ready to move if more wizards showed up.  
  
Grayden nodded his head. "Ok, that takes care of the concealment charms. I sense only three people in the house. Two downstairs and one upstairs. Can't localize them much better than that. And there might be more that I'm not sensing. Too much magic around the house. "  
  
One of the SAS men radioed the information to Major Chisholm.  
  
"Ok, that's all we can do until we're ready to move in," Talerie said. "We have to wait until we isolate the enclave before we bring down any of the protective spells."  
  
"We wait for Willow's signal," Jennifer said.

* * *

They didn't have to wait very long. Eric's cell phone beeped. "Major," he said. "We're a go."  
  
"All units to position one," Chisholm said into his radio. "I wasn't expecting to go until after midnight. It's a good thing we decided to set up early to give Talerie's team longer to work on the spells."  
  
The vans slowly pulled out and began moving down the street towards 12 Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Inside the truck, Talerie nodded to one the SAS team. "Tell your man he's a go."  
  
A man left the house across the street. He was dressed casually and had made this walk several times over the last few days. He crossed the street and walked past the point where 12 Grimmauld was supposed to be. He dropped a crystal on the ground and kept walking.  
  
Talerie spoke a few words in the truck. "The enclave is isolated," he said. "Sinclair, go."  
  
Jennifer pulled out her wand and began speaking a complex series of spells she had spent the past few days memorizing. Next to her Talerie was doing the same. Grayden closed his eyes and monitored the magic around the house. Sensing as the protective charms slowly dissipating.  
  
There were a couple of charms that by their nature could not be removed. The Fidelius was keyed to a specific piece of information. But it only protected knowledge, not the house, so it was irrelevant. A couple of others were designed to protect against specific magical creatures or spells. None of which applied to the SAS team so they could be left alone. Some were keyed to specific parts of the house. They would deal with those inside if necessary.  
  
The last protective charm dropped. Grayden shouted, "Go!!!"

* * *

"Go!" Major Chisholm shouted into his radio. The vans accelerated and pulled off the road into the front yard of 12 Gimmauld Place. From the perspective of anyone who might have watched it seemed they pulled off the road and disappeared.  
  
Faye was out the door before the van stopped and was moving at top speed towards the house. Behind her the SAS team spread out and moved towards the house. Two men pulled up short and began shooting tear gas through the upstairs' windows. Distraction and surprise. Don't give the people inside time to coordinate a defense.  
  
Faye reached the front door and kicked it in. The door was charmed to prevent someone from knocking it down. But the charm hadn't been created with Slayer strength and speed in mind. The door burst off its hinges and went flying into the house. Faye headed straight for the stairs. Her job was to cover the SAS team on the first floor. She would deal the wizard upstairs.

* * *

Sirius Black was sitting comfortably in the living room. As comfortably as he could after being cooped up for weeks. Seeing Harry off at King's Cross Station had been an impulsive move. And Dumbledore was making him pay for it. He was strictly limited to staying in the house. If it wasn't for Lupin keeping him company, Sirius was fairly certain he would go insane. He craved a little action. Some excitement. Mostly he wanted to talk to Harry. But he wanted something to happen.  
  
People should be more careful what they wish for.  
  
The first indication Sirius had that something was odd was the sudden silence from the pictures around the house. Their semi alive nature meant that images in Wizarding pictures were always moving, always making a little noise. It was background noise to wizards. Like traffic to muggles. One only really noticed it when it was gone.  
  
Sirius looked up from his chair and saw that none of the people in the pictures were moving. They looked like muggle portraits. That was odd; Sirius had never seen such a phenomenon. He got up from his chair to examine one of the pictures more closely. That's when he heard the door being smashed down. He spun around in time to see the door go flying through the main hall and a blur of motion that might have been a person go flying towards the stairs.  
  
Sirius reached for his wand as he heard crashing sounds from the upstairs windows. Death Eaters. Voldermort had discovered the headquarters. Sirius didn't have time to wonder how that was even possible. Four men dressed in black and wearing odd masks entered the living room at a run. They weren't Death Eaters. They carried odd devices that Sirius didn't recognize. He was startled. He raised his wand and suddenly felt something like a stupefying curse go through him.

* * *

Major Chisholm was in the first group to enter house after the Slayer. He led his team through the first door off the main entrance. He saw a man just turning to face them and raising his wand. It was Black. He saw a look of surprise cross his face. Wasn't expecting muggles, Major Chisholm thought.  
  
The soldier next to him fired his taser. The wires shot out and caught Black in the chest. He watched Black spasm and fall the ground. He moved forward covering Black with his gun. He got up close and kicked the wand out of Black's hand. The other two members of his team quickly rolled Black over unto his stomach and tied his hands behind his back. They also stuffed a gag in mouth and put a bag over his head.  
  
Chisholm had to hand it to the man. He fought every step of the way. He was finally forced to give Black a good whack across the back of the head. That quieted the murder down.

* * *

Remus Lupin was in the kitchen getting something to eat. Molly Weasley had made certain the pantry was well stocked with leftovers for the boys. The woman was convinced neither Sirius nor Remus could take care of themselves. Never mind that he had managed to do so for many years. Of course he had to admit, Molly was a better cook than he was.  
  
Remus spun around when he heard the crash from the front door. He had his wand out in a second. He tried to apparate to the living room to join Sirius and was shocked to discover he couldn't. He tried again. Nothing happened. No one can set up an anti-apparition spell around a house that fast he thought.  
  
Then he saw them. Two men entering the kitchen.  
  
"Stupefy!" the beam shot out from the wand and struck the first man, he went down. The second man was pointing an odd device at him. Remus didn't know what it was. Suddenly he stiffened. He didn't know what was happening but fortunately he was already diving behind the table when he was struck. The wires from the taser were knocked loose. He was still feeling the effects and was slow to react. He heard more men coming into the room. Then he heard the sound of firecrackers going off.  
  
Lt. Cranston was the third man into the kitchen. He saw Corporal Hobbs go down to a red beam of light. He saw the taser hit the wizard and then he saw the wires get knocked loose. There was an armed wizard trying to take cover behind the table. The taser hadn't work and one man was down. Lt. Cranston and his men did exactly what they were trained to do. They opened fire.  
  
The SAS had loaded their weapons with armor piercing rounds. The table didn't last more than a couple of seconds. Lupin had never faced men with guns before. He didn't know any counter spells to stop bullets. Even if he had, he was still slow from the effects of the taser. Five rounds caught him in the chest and two through the head.  
  
Cranston moved quickly around the table. He saw the blood. The man behind the table wasn't moving. A second soldier moved around the other side of table. Cranston moved cautiously. He been in Special Projects long enough to know that being on the ground and bleeding didn't necessarily mean out of action. He kicked the wand away first. Then knelt down to check for a pulse. Nothing. One dead Death Eater, he thought.  
  
He motioned for his men to secure the room and then continue their sweep.

* * *

Faye reached the top of the stairs in a couple of seconds after knocking down the front door. There was a lot of magic in the house. She took a calming breath and reached out with her senses. According to Grayden there was supposed to a wizard up here. Faye felt the presence of the two wizards downstairs. She thought she could feel the presence of a third. All the magic in the house was making it harder to localize the feeling. Everything radiated magic.  
  
Well given all the excitement downstairs, she figured the wizard up here would most likely come to her.

* * *

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody was sleeping in one the bedrooms upstairs. He had been spending the last two days trying to track a Death Eater for Dumbledore. Moody didn't know why Dumbledore was so interested in this particular Death Eater's movements. But Dumbledore had always played things close to his chest.  
  
He shot out of bed when he heard the crash from downstairs. Then a crash came from the window in his room. A small tubular device landed on the floor and began spewing smoke. Moody began coughing and his eye started tearing up. He quickly cast a spell to cover his head with a bowl of fresh air.  
  
His magical eye began spinning. He saw what appeared to be muggle vehicles in the lawn in front of the house. He saw the men around them. Moody had tracked enough wizards through muggle areas to recognize that they carried guns. He shifted his vision to inside the house. Several men were moving through the first floor. They were moving quickly and efficiently. Clearly professionals.  
  
None of them were dressed, as Death Eaters and Voldemort would never hire muggles to do a job. What the hell was going on?  
  
He saw a woman at the head of the stairs. He saw Sirius go down. He tried to apparate to the living room. Nothing happened. There were too many men in the house. He needed to get help. He reached for the emergency portkey. He braced himself when he grabbed it. Nothing happened. Someone had set up a spell to block anyone from being able to apparate or use portkeys. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and moved slowly out of the room. He had to do something. Then he saw Lupin go down in the kitchen.

* * *

Faye heard the shots from downstairs. She had hoped they could get everyone in the house without having to use lethal force. She winced. She felt death. The Slayer stirred. A human death, regardless of circumstances always drew out the Slayer. Faye continued to reach out with her senses trying to find the wizard she knew was on this floor. Something made her senses twitch and she began moving down the hall.  
  
Moody needed a plan. Both Lupin and Black were down. The muggles had control of the first floor. He had no way out. He moved very slowly down the hall towards the young woman he saw at the head of the stairs. He was wearing his invisibility cloak and had cast a silencing charm. There was no way she should be able to sense him coming. But Moody hadn't lived as long as he had by taking unnecessary risks.  
  
Moody blinked. The woman had seemed strange from the first moment he saw her. More like a predator than a person. Moody knew despite her appearance she was dangerous. But suddenly something about her changed. Moody had rarely felt fear in life. But something about her made him afraid. He tensed and shook off the feeling. If he could take her, he might be able to force his way outside the house and get out from underneath the whatever spell had been cast to keep from him apparating. He had to get to Dumbledore.  
  
The feeling of death had brought the Slayer fully to the fore. Faye's senses became even sharper. Every detail around her came into focus. She heard every sound, regardless of how small it was. She felt the air moving around her.  
  
There. It was one of those feelings that only a Slayer has. The kind she just can't explain to someone her doesn't share her gift. Suddenly she knew where her target was. She attacked.  
  
Moody had never seen any human move so fast. It was a blur. His wand was raised and he shouted a spell. The woman had already moved and spell missed her by a wide margin. She covered the distance between them in a second. Her fist hit him in the head. The fresh air spell he had cast blunted the force. But not by that much. She continued to press the attack. Moody was dazed and didn't have time to react. Somehow she grabbed his wand arm and twisted. He felt the arm break and he dropped his wand.  
  
It had been a couple of years since Faye last fought an invisible opponent. But she knew the moves. The Council's training program grilled them into her. Don't let up. Keep them in arms reach. She felt some kind of fabric and tore it away. She saw her opponent for the first time. He was battered man who'd clearly seen one too many battles. Faye wasn't distracted by appearance. She fought demons that looked worse.  
  
Her elbow shot out and caught him on the chin. His head smashed against the wall and he collapsed into unconsciousness. Faye kept scanning the area. She didn't feel the presence of more wizards. She heard the next team entering the house and Grayden's voice, "Only three wizards in the house. One upstairs. Faye got him."  
  
It was over. Faye didn't relax though. Four of the SAS team came up the stairs. They moved quickly and efficiently. Each man covering the others. Two of them grabbed the wizard she had subdued. They tied his arms behind his back, gagged him and put a bag over his head. They then began moving him back downstairs.

* * *

Eric came into the house with agents Sinclair and Grayden. They were accompanied and protected by the several SAS soldiers. Grayden closed his eyes when they came through the door. Being inside the house made it easier for his senses to sort though all the magic.  
  
"Only three wizards in the house. One upstairs. Faye got him," He said.  
  
Eric nodded as he watched four soldiers move quickly up the stairs. Another soldier came out a passage on the side off the hallway and motioned for them to follow him. They entered the living room where a group of soldiers was guarding a man tied down on his stomach on the floor. Major Chisholm had pulled off his gas mask and looked over at the group.  
  
"We got Black," he said. "Alive."  
  
Lt. Cranston and another man came into the living room. "One in the kitchen. We had to kill him. Tasers didn't take him down. Hobbs got hit by some kind of stunning spell. We're moving him to vans now."  
  
Chisholm nodded, "We take the body with us. I want everyone out of the house in two minutes."  
  
Black was dragged out of the house followed by the group dragging a man down the stairs. Faye followed closely behind them.  
  
Eric looked over at Jennifer who had stopped in the living room and was staring at the pictures.  
  
"They aren't moving," she said. "I don't understand. The pictures should be moving."  
  
"Sinclair," Major Chisholm said. "We don't have time for science experiments. We are leaving."  
  
A frustrated look crossed her face but she complied, following Eric out of the house and back to the vans parked outside.  
  
Finally only Major Chisholm, Lt Cranston and Faye were left in the house.  
  
"Shame we can't leave any bugs behind," Lt. Cranston said.  
  
"No signal," Major Chisholm replied. "And I'm not risking sending people in to retrieve them. Let's move."  
  
The three moved out of the house. One van had already pulled away carrying the prisoners. The group got into the second van and it pulled out of the enclave. The truck pulled away next. A surveillance van stayed behind parked a couple of houses down.  
  
One minute after Major Chisholm's van pulled away a man in casual clothes walked in front of the enclave. He leaned down to tie his shoe and scooped up the warding crystal as he stood up. He then just continued casually down the road.  
  
The entire operation had taken eleven minutes from when the vans first breached the enclave.

* * *

A/N – I know killing Remus is going make a lot of people angry. But I just could not think of a way to get out of the house without some price. Making it clean would have cheapened the story. I need Sirius for story reasons and none of the other Order members would have had the impact Remus does. I love the character. But the story demanded a sacrifice. 


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine A New Player in the...

Chapter Twenty Nine – A New Player in the Game

"Molly you've already taken Sirius and the others quite enough food," Arthur said to his wife.

"You know as well as I do," Molly replied. "Left on their own those three would just ransack the pantry and call it dinner. And that's assuming they even remember to eat."

Arthur just shook his head at his wife's insistence on playing mother hen to the Order. He went back to the living room to finish reading the Daily Prophet.

Molly finished gathering up the food and walked to the fireplace. She was going to the headquarters later than she had planned. Bill had come over for dinner and the family had spent the evening talking.

She grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the fire.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place," she said. She started moving before she realized the fire hadn't changed to green.

Arthur heard his wife shout from the kitchen. He was up in a flash and ran back into the kitchen to see Molly lying on the floor. The bottom of her dress was smoldering. He saw the contents of the basket of food she was taking to the headquarters strewn about the floor.

"What happened?" Arthur knelt down next to his wife.

"I'm alright," Molly said. "I must have just said the name wrong or something. The floo didn't connect to the house. I put the fire out."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Arthur said.

"I'm fine Arthur," Molly replied in a testy voice. "Just embarrassed," it had been years since she made a mistake using the floo. She looked around the room. "Look at this mess. Get the broom Arthur I need to clean it up and get more food for the boys."

"Are you absolutely sure you're ok," Arthur said. It wasn't like Molly to have an accident using the floo. "You don't have to take care of Remus and Sirius every night. You've been running yourself ragged. Take the night off. You need to relax."

"I said I'm fine Arthur," Molly said, pushing herself up off the floor. She waved her wand in the direction of the closet, "Accio broom."

The closet door opened and broom came flying into her outstretched hand. She immediately set it about cleaning the floor. She then started gathering more food.

Arthur shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

It was a few minutes later when Molly got the kitchen in order and prepared another basket of food. She went to fireplace and tossed in another handful of floo powder.

She very carefully said, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place."

This time the fire turned green and Molly walked through into the living room of the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. She dropped the basket and had to cover her ears. The pictures were all screaming.

"DEAD!! I WAS DEAD!!!!"

"BLACKNESS!!! BLACKNESS!!!"

"HELP!!!! DARKNESS!!!"

The screams were coming from all parts of the house. Every picture was screaming about blackness or death. The noise was deafening.

Molly didn't see anyone in the living room. Some of the furniture looked out of place. What happened? She turned back to the fireplace and grabbed more floo powder and tossed it into the fire.

"THE BURROW!!!" she shouted at the top of lungs. She could barely hear her own voice.

She tumbled back into the Burrow.

"ARTHUR!!" she shouted.

He was back in the kitchen. "Molly what's wrong."

"The headquarters," she was panting. "The pictures, all screaming. I didn't see anyone," she shook her head. "The noise, all screaming at once."

Arthur hugged his wife. He didn't understand. The pictures were screaming? His head spun around as he heard the loud crack of someone apparating into the living room. Dumbledore strode into the kitchen.

"Arthur, Molly," Dumbledore said. "You must stay away from the headquarters. Something has happened."

Molly looked at Dumbledore. "I was there. The pictures screaming about death and blackness. The pictures said they were dead."

"Molly calm down," Arthur tried to comfort his wife. He looked at Dumbledore and saw a strange look cross the man's face.

"The pictures were screaming about death?" Dumbledore's face became a mask of hardness.

"Stay here," he said in a commanding voice.

"Professor, what's happening?" Arthur asked.

"Just stay here," Dumbledore repeated. "Warn the other members of the Order to stay away from the headquarters."

"I couldn't reach the house earlier," Molly said. "The floo didn't connect."

"What?" Dumbledore said.

"A few minutes ago," she replied. "I thought I just made a mistake. But the floo didn't connect."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "Stay here," he said. "Do as I said. Tell the other members of the Order to stay away from the headquarters.

Dumbledore disapparated with a loud crack.

* * *

Dumbledore reappeared in the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place. Before he even appeared the furniture started flying up and away from the center of the room where Dumbledore arrived. If anyone who had been in the room they would have been forced to take cover or be severely injured by flying furniture.

Dumbledore winced at the sound of the screaming pictures. He waved his wand next to his head and the sound became more manageable to listen too. He looked around the room. The pictures on the walls were all agitated. Running back and forth between frames. Screaming about death and blackness.

Dumbledore waved his wand and three glowing balls of light appeared and went zooming away. He continued to search the living room. He stopped when he saw the broken remains of a wand on the floor. A quick examination showed that it was Sirius' wand.

Had Voldemort discovered the headquarters? But how? And why strike like this? It was not Tom's way. It was too soon for him to move this openly.

The three balls of light returned to the living room. Two were still white. The second was a pulsating red. Dumbledore waved his wand at the two white balls and they vanished. He then motioned at the ball flashing red. It flew out of the room with Dumbledore following.

They went out into the entryway. The pictures there were screaming just a loudly. Dumbledore saw the front door lying at the far end of the room.

He followed the ball into the kitchen. Dumbledore saw the remains of the kitchen table. Large sections had been shattered. He saw blood on the ground. Too much blood. The red light hovered over the blood. It had been sent to find Remus. He saw another broken wand wedged under the counter. Remus' he surmised.

Kreacher. Dumbledore moved to small pantry to find the house elf. He pulled open the door to the cupboard Keacher called home. He found the elf curled in a ball on the floor. He clenched his moldy blankets tightly around himself.

"The house is dark. Mistress is dead. Everything is dead. Blackness everywhere," Keacher babbled.

Whatever happened to the pictures clearly affected him as well, Dumbledore thought. What could have caused such a reaction? Tom didn't have the power or the knowledge to blacken the pictures. He had only been initiated into the lesser mysteries.

He rose and continued the search. Someone had clearly attacked the house. Dumbledore was having his doubts about it being Tom. Whoever it was seemed to have killed Remus and possibly captured or killed Sirius and Mad-Eye.

He made his way upstairs. There was a strange stinging smoke in the air. Dumbledore waved his wand and a pocket of air formed around his body. He saw the tattered remains of Mad-Eye's invisibility cloak. Mad-Eye's broken wand was also on the ground.

No, not Death Eaters. They wouldn't destroy wands so casually. Someone else had done this. He went into the room he knew Mad-Eye used.

He saw an odd tubular device on the floor. It seemed to be the source of the smoke. He pointed his wand at it and it flew up and into a small bag Dumbledore had pulled out. He would examine the item later.

He then saw the emergency portkey lying on the ground. Mad-Eye had obviously tried to use it. Someone had isolated the house so effectively that portkeys and the floo had been cut off and the pictures had been blackened.

If Tom had that knowledge he would already be striking larger targets. He wouldn't bother hiding from the Ministry. Dumbledore fists clinched. There was someone new in the game. Someone he didn't know. Someone powerful. An ally of Tom's perhaps? Unlikely. Again, with such an ally, Tom would not be constrained in his movements. He certainly wouldn't bother to feed false information through Snape.

The other possibility was the attack came from outside the Wizarding world. Dumbledore did not know how the magics outside the Wizarding world had advanced during his people's long isolation. Had Tom in his studies and his quests for knowledge led their ancient enemies back to the Wizarding world?

It was too soon for that. His plans were not yet ready. He needed to get Tom out of the way before he could approach those outside.

Of course such a possibility raised far more questions. Why attack this house? They would be more likely to target Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. Or, if he had led them to rediscover the Wizarding world, one of Tom's bases. Too many questions with no good answers.

He had learned all he would learn tonight. He had contingency plans in case the Order's headquarters were compromised. He needed to make certain all the other members of the Order were informed. Then he needed to figure out what to say to Harry. This could break the boy. And the boy was too important to Dumbledore's long-term plans.


	31. Chapter Thirty Rendevous Point

Chapter Thirty – Rendezvous Point

The building was nearly fifty miles outside London. It was an old building. The foundation and basement/dungeons had been built nearly seven centuries ago. The building on top was constructed in the early 1950s to replace the original one that had been destroyed by a German V-2 rocket. Most people assumed the rocket had veered widely off course and missed London. In fact it had been one of only a few V-2's that actually hit its intended target. But that is a story for another day.

The building and its surrounding complex were listed as belonging to some random Ministry of the British government. Nobody really knew which one. It seemed to jump around every few years. The bastard stepchild that nobody wanted and someone got stuck with. In reality the building was the property of the Crown and since the 50's was used by Special Projects. The original building and foundation had been built as a prison to hold some of the very strange people and things occasionally captured by the British government.

While the original building may have been destroyed the foundation and powerful protective wards were still intact. As such the British government rebuilt and used the building and the surrounding complex as the base of operations for the SAS team assigned to Special Projects. The basement still possessed the original warding spells, along with a few new ones, needed to contain powerful supernatural beings.

That was the reason the complex was chosen as the meeting point for the two strike teams. Willow's group arrived first. They handed off their still unconscious and tied up prisoners to guards that were waiting for them.

Willow was talking on her cell phone.

"Gotcha Eric ... Only one man got hurt ... No, no one got hurt on our end. We caught them totally flat-footed. Never even knew what hit them ... Is Faye ok ... That's kind of a normal reaction ... I'll talk to you more when you get here ... I need to tell Dawn how things went ... See you in a few minutes."

Willow clicked off the phone.

"Everything went well with the other strike?" Kennedy asked.

"They got Black and one other guy alive," Willow said. "One of the Death Eaters resisted. The SAS team was forced to kill him," Willow winced.

"I'm sure they didn't have a choice," Kennedy reached out and rubbed Willow's shoulder. "How's Faye taking it?"

"Eric said she's pretty agitated," Willow said. Death never sat well with a Slayer. Particularly the ones from Sunnydale.

Kennedy nodded. "I'll talk to her when we get back to the Council's headquarters. We'll run through everything," the Council had developed an unofficial policy that anytime a person died during a mission, regardless of the circumstances, the Slayer or Slayers involved talked privately with another Slayer. Kennedy lowered her voice, "What's wrong baby?"

"It's too fast," Willow replied. "We don't know enough about what's going on. I know we had a good plan and everything seems to have gone perfectly. This is usually about the time the other shoe drops."

"Don't worry," Kennedy said. "We'll just make sure it doesn't hit the ground."

* * *

A short while later Major Chisholm's team arrived. The first van pulled into a small side building that served as the complex's garage. Willow and Kennedy were waiting next to the entrance to the elevator leading down to the holding cells. Three stretchers came out to take the two unconscious prisoners and the body of the third man.

The second van pulled up and Kennedy saw Eric and Faye get out. She noticed the tightness in Faye's shoulders. The way she was looking around. Eric was right. She was agitated. Even this long after the mission the Slayer was still close to the surface. She noticed the other soldiers move away from her as they got out the van. Smart guys.

Eric saw her and Willow and nodded in their direction and started guiding Faye towards them. Kennedy started towards them and passed the three stretchers. Something caught her attention.

"Hold up a second," she said. The men pushing the stretchers looked towards Major Chisholm. He nodded his head and they came to a stop.

Kennedy walked to one of the stretchers. "This guy gives off the same vibe I got from the guy who changed into a rat."

"Sounds like an Animagus," Talerie said, walking up from the third vehicle.

"A what?" Kennedy said.

"An animagus," Talerie said. "A rare talent among Wizarding kind. A few of them can apparently transform into a single animal form. It can be anything. Bird, cat, dog in your case a rat."

"And no one thought to tell us about this before," Kennedy said. "That might have been good to know before one of those guys almost got away. Turned himself into a little three pawed rat. Well, three normal paws and a really ugly silver one. They've got him locked up in small cage downstairs. Still hasn't changed back."

"I'm certain the information was in the basic packet," Talerie said. "I didn't bring it up at the meetings because, as I said, the talent is rare. The odds on meeting one are quite low."

"First night dealing directly with wizards and I've already met two," Kennedy. "You need to revise your odds."

"Kennedy," Willow said. "I'm sure it was an honest mistake. No harm done. We'll just have to go over everything again."

Willow looked over to see Faye standing next to the body.

"Faye?" Willow said. "You ok?"

"He was a werewolf," Faye said.

Major Chisholm looked startled. "Are you sure?"

"She's sure," came the chorused reply from Willow, Kennedy and Eric.

Eric nodded, "Faye's got some the best senses when it comes to the supernatural of all the Slayers."

"I'd say only Faith's are better," Willow said. "When Faye says something like this, you can pretty much take it as truth."

"You got him in his human form," Faye said. "When he was vulnerable."

"Wouldn't have made any difference one way or the other," Lt. Cranston said. "All our weapons are loaded with VAAP clips."

"Vap?" Eric was confused.

"Something we picked up from the Americans," Lt. Cranston replied. "One of the only good innovations to come out of the Initiative. Which also explains the obtuse acronym. VAAP, V. A. A. P. Variable Ammunition Armor Piercing magazine. The clips are loaded with two types of armor piercing rounds," Lt Cranston pulled a spare clip out and popped the first round out and held it up. "The first is a high impact penetration round. This thing can penetrate virtually all standard body armor currently in use and a few that are still in development. Won't kill most demons, but it will get their attention and put most on the ground long enough to get out the stuff that can kill them."

Lt Cranston then popped out the next round in the clip and held it up. "This is also an armor piercing round. But as you might guess from the color, it's made incorporating a hardened silver alloy. Doesn't have the penetration power of the other round. Tends to flatten out too much on impact for that. But it does have stopping power. Knocks most things down and it will kill anything vulnerable to silver."

Major Chisholm picked up the explanation. "Bloody expensive things. Cheaper in the long run though. We don't have to maintain and carry around two separate ammunition loads anymore. We've got one clip loaded with ammunition that can slow down and cripple most supernatural beasties and even kill some. And it saves a hell of a lot of time not having to swap clips in the middle of a firefight," he nodded in Willow's direction. "Your friend Lt Colonel Finn has some interesting stories about the development process. It may seem a simple enough idea. But it wasn't easy to create something that could be relied on in the field."

Major Chisholm motioned with his hand and the men pushed the stretchers towards the elevator to the basement cells.

"What are you planning on doing with them?" Willow said.

"Not much tonight," Major Chisholm replied. "We make certain they've been stripped of any magical devices. Treat their injuries. They'll be kept sedated. We'll also keep them in separate cells and make certain they have no way to communicate. The longer we keep them in the dark about who we are and what's really going on the easier the interrogations will be. We won't be starting in on those until tomorrow morning. Cromwell will be coming out to handle them personally."

"Grayden also needs to get some rest before he can monitor the interrogations," Talerie said. "Most likely all of these men are protected by fidelius charms. There are ways to work around them, but they're tricky and take a long time."

Willow nodded, "All the men we captured had that 'Dark Mark' tattooed on their arms. The wards around the complex are powerful enough to prevent any mystical link they may have to Riddle from working."

"Good to know," Major Chisholm said.

"The rest of the girls have gone home," Kennedy said. She motioned towards Eric and Faye, "The four of us will stick around until you have these guys secured. We'll head back to the headquarters after that. We'll be back out tomorrow morning to monitor the interrogations."

"Sounds reasonable enough," Major Chisholm said. "If you will accompany me I'll show you around the non-classified sections of the complex."


	32. Chapter Thirty One The Interrogation of...

Chapter Thirty One – The Interrogation of Sirius Black

"My Lady," Montgomery said. "It appears we are going to have a passenger."

Lady Aydin looked up from the notes she was reviewing in the back seat of the Bentley. She saw an old man standing calmly at the side of the road.

"The Elder received my message," she said. "Pull over Monty."

"Yes My Lady," he pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out. He opened the door to the passenger section and Elder Sinclair got in and sat down next to Lady Aydin.

"Elder," Lady Aydin said. "A pleasure to see you this morning. I take it you wish to watch the interrogations."

"Yes," he replied. "Since I cannot apparate or use a portkey to enter your facility I decided to meet your car. I could use a distraction from my current projects."

The Elder had spent most of the previous day and night reviewing the information Lady Aydin had provided about Lily Evans. What he saw shocked him. How could Albus have kept such knowledge from him? Whatever their history over the past few years, Albus knew how important such a find would be to him. Removing Tom from the playing field was even more important than he thought. He needed time to digest the information. And he needed to know everything about Tom's current plans.

Lady Aydin studied the Elder's calm appearance. She could tell he was bothered by something. She also knew it would not be worth the trouble to ask.

"You'll be pleased to know we took Black alive along with one other man," Lady Aydin said. "The Slayers captured five others. So far we've only identified Lucius Malfoy and Victor Goyle. The other two we don't have IDs for yet and the fifth turned out to be an animagus. He's still in his rat form. No way to identify him. We don't yet have an ID on the Death Eater we killed at Black's hideout and it will most likely be sometime until we do."

"These Slayers captured five Death Eaters," Elder Sinclair said. "Impressive." He needed to learn more about these Slayers and their Council. One more variable to keep track of. But he felt comfortable. He had chosen his allies well. His people had lived in the dark too long. Despite what Albus and Tom may think it was past time they began searching for a way back into the light. But Albus had the boy. And he was protecting him. Could he have changed?

----

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Dawn said. "It took Faye almost an hour to come down after she got back last night. That's too long. The guy was a Death Eater. She reacted like an innocent had been killed."

"I don't know," Willow said. "Maybe it's something different about Wizards. She said there was an awful lot of magic in the house. That might have triggered something in the Slayer."

The two were driving out to the SAS complex. Eric and Faye were following in the car behind them with Ronni and Suzzette.

"She said the guy was a werewolf," Dawn said. "From what I understand Riddle wouldn't consider that to meet his standard for a pureblooded Wizard. The other Death Eaters wouldn't accept him either."

"What are you thinking Dawn?" Willow asked.

"The evidence on Black is pretty overwhelming," Dawn said. "Everything MI5 has says he's a Death Eater. Maybe the Ministry of Magic is more on the ball than we thought. Maybe this guy was one of theirs. A plant put into the Death Eater organization."

"Goddess I hope not," Willow said. "But you're right. Something doesn't add up."

"We'll find out soon enough," Dawn said. "There's the turnoff to the complex."

As they entered the complex Willow saw Lady Aydin's Bentley parked in the lot. She was standing next to the car talking with a very old man. Willow's eyes narrowed.

"That must be Elder Sinclair," Willow said.

"What is it Willow?" Dawn said. She noticed her tense up.

"He's strong," Willow said. "A quantum leap above those guys we took out last night."

"You could still take him right," Dawn said.

"No problem," Willow replied. "It would be lot messier though and I don't recommend being anywhere nearby if something goes down. He is on our side, so we shouldn't have any problems."

Lady Aydin looked over to cars parking.

"The Council's representatives have arrived," she said. "Shall we meet them?"

"Lead the way My Lady," the Elder motioned with his hand.

The two went over to meet the group.

"Lady Aydin," Willow said. "It's good to see you again. I don't believe we've met your friend."

"Willow, a pleasure to see you as well," Lady Aydin replied. "Permit me to introduce Elder Edgar Sinclair. Elder this is Willow Rosenberg, Dawn Summers, Eric Travers and Faye Haughton. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting your other companions."

"Nice to meet you Elder," Willow replied. "Our two friends are Ronni and Suzzette. They were with me when we captured the Death Eaters. Eric and Faye took part in the capture of Black."

The Elder reached out to shake everyone's hands. These children captured Death Eaters? From the few stories Lady Aydin had shared with him, he expected battle-hardened veterans. The man appeared to be about the same age as his granddaughter but the women. They were children.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Ms Rosenberg," the Elder said.

Dawn smiled. She'd seen that look on peoples' faces before. "Having a hard time getting over how young we are?" she said.

The Elder took a moment to study the people in front of him. From first glance most people would normally discount them. But he was an intelligent man. He saw their eyes. None of them had been children in quite some time.

"It is a little startling," he replied. "But I recognize seasoned warriors when I see them."

"Shall we continue inside," Lady Aydin said. "There is much to do."

* * *

The group made their way to the detention level. Major Chisholm and Jennifer Sinclair met them as they came out the elevator.

Jennifer smiled, "Grandfather."

"Hello Jennifer," the Elder replied. "I don't see enough of you anymore."

"Grandfather," Jennifer's face became serious. "The man we captured with Black. It's Moody."

"Alastor was with Black?" the Elder asked. He started thinking. Alastor had been part of the old Order of the Phoenix. The Elder had not yet determined who all the current members were. Albus was being selective about who he asked back into the fold and the Elder had no way to determine who all the new members were.

"Wasn't Moody the one Crouch impersonated last year to gain access to Hogwarts?" Lady Aydin asked.

"Yes," the Elder replied nodding his head. "He was kept under an Imperious curse for quite some time. As difficult as it is for me to believe, perhaps that broke him."

"I always thought Mad-Eye was too tough to be broken," Jennifer said. "He was my first training officer when I joined the Aurors. But months under an Imperious curse can do serious damage to the mind. And to be honest, as good as he was, he was always a little strange."

"That was his strength," the Elder replied. "What is the status on Black?"

"Agent Cromwell is just about to start the first interrogation," Major Chisholm said. "We don't expect to get anything. Grayden just wants to get a reading on the Fidelius that's protecting the information. As he likes to say, 'sometimes just knowing something is being hidden can tell you what it is.'"

"Let us proceed," Lady Aydin said.

* * *

Sirius Black awoke slowly. His head hurt. The last thing he remembered was the strangely garbed men pushing him to the ground. He looked around the room. The walls were bare. He was sitting in a metal chair. His hands were secured to the frame, as were his feet. He tried to lean forward and discovered that his chest was bound as well. Someone had removed his clothes. He was wearing a dull gray outfit of unfamiliar design.

Where was he? This didn't look a Death Eater stronghold. The walls looked metal. He saw odd devices hanging from the corners. There was a simple rectangular table in front of him. He could a door.

"Where am I?!?" he shouted. "Let me go!!!"

The door opened and a man walked in. He was dressed in muggle clothes. Looked to be in his late thirties.

"Who are you?" Black demanded.

The man ignored him and set a pad of paper down on the table. He then turned and walked out of the room. He returned a few moments later with a chair and placed it on the opposite side of the table from Black. He sat down and stared.

"Who are you?!?!" Sirius shouted again. "Where am I?!?" What have done with the others?!"

The man's expression remained unchanged at each outburst. He seemed to be waiting patiently.

Black continued to yell at the man for a few minutes. Finally he calmed. The man smiled.

"Got the shouting out of your system Mr. Black," he said. "Good. I'm really not expecting to get much done at this meeting. This is more of an introduction. You may call me Mr. Cromwell."

"Where am I Cromwell?" Sirius said.

"Now, now, Mr. Black," the man replied. "I waited patiently through your little tantrum. You can sit quietly through this."

Cromwell's face took on a serious expression. "England is a civilized nation Mr. Black. We abolished the death penalty many years ago. For the most part that's a decision I agree with. But then I meet a man like you."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked. He was still in England. But why did the man refer to it as a nation? He may be dressed like a muggle but he still had to be a wizard. Who else could have captured him?

"Patience Mr. Black," the man said again. "Where was I? Ah, yes. Then I meet a man like you. You betray your supposedly best friend. Lead Tom Riddle right to his door. You then murder thirteen innocent people in your efforts to escape. One of them was another of your 'best' friends. You have a deranged mind Mr. Black. People like you should not be allowed to share this world with the rest of civilized society."

They thought he was a killer. They couldn't be Death Eaters. It can't be the Ministry. The man was dressed as a muggle. It wasn't possible.

"You're a muggle," Sirius' voice carried both shock and amazement.

"Very good Mr. Black," Cromwell smiled. "I am indeed a 'muggle' as you say. You murdered twelve citizens of the British Empire. Your Ministry of Magic may not be able be able to deal with the likes of you. But as you will be discovering over the time we work together. Us poor defenseless 'muggles' know a great deal about your world. And we know a great deal about how to extract information regarding your master Tom Riddle. Voldemort if you prefer."

Muggles had tracked him down? They were going to punish him for his supposed crimes against their people. They believed he was Death Eater. It wasn't possible.

"I'm no Death Eater."

"Really Mr. Black," Cromwell said. "That's your strategy. Denial. I expected something better."

"I didn't kill anyone," Sirius said. "It was...." He had to stop. He couldn't say. The Fidelius protected the knowledge that Peter was alive. He couldn't tell them the truth.

"You're going to try and accuse someone else now," Cromwell said. "Pathetic. This is going to be easier than I thought. I will give you some time alone, to ponder things. Time to think about what the muggles are going to do to you."

Sirius watched as the man picked up the notepad from the table and then picked up the chair in his other hand. The door opened and Cromwell walked out.

"You have to believe me!!" Sirius shouted. "I'm not a Death Eater! I would never betray James and Lily it was...." He still couldn't say. He had nothing. His wand was gone. He was in the hands of muggles who were convinced he was a killer. They were going to try and use him to go after Voldemort. The man had spoken the name without fear.

How had they found him? How did they capture him? What happened to Remus and Mad-Eye?

Sirius stared at the door. He had to get out. Find some way to convince them he was innocent. But the Fidelius prevented him from telling them about Peter. He couldn't say anything about the Order. It's not like he could send them to the Ministry. He was trapped.


	33. Chapter Thirty Two Revelations

Chapter Thirty Two – Revelations

"A werewolf," Elder Sinclair said. "Captured with Black?"

"Yes," Lady Aydin replied. "At least according Faye. I don't know how accurate a Slayer's senses are. But the others were certain she was correct."

They were in one the complexes conference rooms with Willow and Dawn.

A werewolf. The Elder was lost in thought. The Death Eaters would never accept such a thing. It was Black's house. Lupin perhaps? Could Black have turned him? The Elder thought back over the few times he had met Remus Lupin and decided the answer was no. Lupin would never turn against the Order or Albus. Could it be someone hiding the fact that he was a werewolf from the other Death Eaters. Unlikely. Tom would notice the disappearances around the time of the full moon. He also had other ways to make certain his followers were "pureblood" wizards. A werewolf would not be able to get past them.

Alastor was also in the house. This did not make sense.

"We were thinking that maybe this werewolf guy might be a plant from the Ministry of Magic," Dawn said.

The Elder snorted. "Fudge is a competent and occasionally even brilliant administrator but this level of subterfuge is beyond him."

"Maybe he's from one of the other Ministries?" Dawn said. "There is more than just England out there."

"Unlikely," the Elder replied. "I have my contacts among the Wizarding world. The other Ministries have not acknowledged even the possibility that Voldemort has returned. And even if they had, no one would use a werewolf as their spy. There are ways to detect such people."

"So what's your explanation?" Dawn asked.

"I do not have one?" the Elder replied. The maddening thing was, he didn't. Black was a betrayer and Death Eater. Albus even believed it to be true.

"Let us deal with the animagus," the Elder said. "Given his missing limb, it is logical to assume that he is the one who participated in the revival ritual for Voldemort. Have the creature moved to a secure room. I will force him back into his human form. I should be able to remove his wand fairly quickly but I would suggest caution."

"We have his wand," Willow said. "Ronni knocked it loose before forcing him to the ground. He transformed when she was holding him."

"He changed without his wand? That is almost unprecedented for an animagus," the Elder paused in thought. "There has been speculation that if an animagus spends too much time in their animal form the body becomes acclimated. They could force a transformation without a wand. But such a person would have to spend months if not years in their animal form. I can not think of anyone who would want to spend that long as a rat."

"Amy was a rat for three years," Dawn said. "She didn't take the experience real well."

"What?"

"Long story," Willow said. She shot Dawn a look, "one we prefer not to talk about."

"Sorry," Dawn said and changed her focus back to the Elder. "So you can change him back to human?"

"The spell is fairly straight forward," the Elder replied.

"Very well then," Lady Aydin said. "Proceed."

* * *

Pettigrew was still a rat. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't even that certain how he had changed. He remembered needing to get away and concentrating on a way to slip loose from the woman's grasp. Then he was running towards the door. He didn't have his wand and therefore could not change back.

Everything had been black until a man had dumped him into a cage in a strange room. Since then he had seen no one. He heard the door open and turned to see a different man come into the room. A second man came in behind him holding a strange looking device. Not a wand. Their clothing was strange. The first man placed a cover over his cage and once again his world became black.

Pettigrew was being carried. But he didn't know to where. The world became bright again and he found himself being dumped unto a tabletop. There were walls around the edges of the table, nowhere to run.

Pettigrew looked up to see a very old man staring down at him. Pettigrew recognized him. An Elder, Sinclair he remembered. He had lectured to his Defense classes. Why was he wearing muggle clothes?

The Elder pointed his wand at him. Pettigrew felt the change happening again. Soon he was human. He could now see the other people in the room. The two men who had brought him here were standing at the room's corners. They were both pointing the strange looking items at him. Just behind Sinclair were two women Pettigrew had never seen before. One was redheaded and the other brunette.

"He's got one of those 'Dark Mark' things," the redhead said.

"You know the white mask black outfit look went out after the second movie," the brunette said.

Sinclair smiled, "Let us see who this Death Eater is." He raised his wand again and Pettigrew felt the mask oon his head go flying off.

* * *

"Pettigrew?!?" the Elder was stunned.

"Isn't that the guy Black killed?" Dawn said.

"Yes," the Elder replied. Pettigrew was alive. He bore a Dark Mark. He was missing a hand.

"You betrayed the Potters," the Elder said. He waved his wand a Pettigrew found himself flying backwards and then pinned to the wall. "Answer me."

"I had no choice," Pettigrew said. "The Dark Lord forced me. His power, you have no idea how powerful he is."

"I am quite familiar with the scope of Voldemort's power," the Elder said. He needed answers. Now. "How did you survive?"

"I killed the muggles, cut off my finger, turned into a rat," Pettigrew was babbling. The Elder was advancing on him.

"And Black?" the Elder said. How did he not know?

"I was the Secret Keeper," Pettigrew said. "The Dark Lord forced me. He will kill all of you."

The Elder stopped. A quick wave of his wand and Pettigrew lapsed into unconsciousness. Pettigrew was alive. He betrayed the Potters. Black was not the Secret Keeper. Alastor was in the house. The werewolf had to be Lupin.

"Albus," the Elder whispered. "Damn me for a fool!"

The Elder whipped around. "Keep this one secured. I must see Black now."

"What's going on?" Dawn asked. "If this guy betrayed the Potters. That means Black's innocent."

"And I am a fool," the Elder replied. He swept out of the room. Lady Aydin was standing in the hall. She had just come out of the adjoining room where she had been watching over the monitor.

"Elder," Lady Aydin said. "What didn't you tell us?"

"There is little time," the Elder said. "I must see Black. Now."

"Why?" Lady Aydin asked. She stared directly into the Elder's eyes. He saw the steel in them. Lying was not an option. And there had already been too many of those.

"I must confirm Pettigrew's story," the Elder said. He nodded at Agent Grayden who had followed Lady Aydin out of the room. "You can monitor when a Fidelius is active?"

"Not reliably," Agent Grayden answered. "But yes."

"Come," the Elder said. "I need you to monitor Black."

"Elder," Lady Aydin said. "You still have not answered my question."

"Lady Aydin," the Elder said. "I need to see Black in order to confirm my suspicions. I have made a grave error."

She nodded. "Agent Grayden, accompany the Elder to Black's cell."

* * *

Black was still sitting in the chair. He wasn't certain how long he had been there. Well over an hour he thought. Cromwell had not come to see him again. The door opened. His eyes went wide. He recognized the first man to enter the room.

"Sinclair?" Black said in barely a whisper.

"You remember me," the Elder said. "Sirius Black, you are a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Black just stared. He remembered Sinclair from school. He and Dumbledore had been friends. He had also captured several Death Eaters during the war.

"What are you doing here?" Black said. "I thought I was being held by muggles."

"You are being held by muggles," the Elder replied. "Grayden was the Fidelius active?"

"It's always active," Grayden replied. "That's what makes it so hard to read. There might have been a flare up when you mentioned that Phoenix thing. But he might have been thinking about some other secret related to Fidelius at the same time."

Black was having a hard time following the conversation. The man could sense a Fidelius charm? Not possible. He wasn't even carrying a wand. Why would the Elder be working with muggles?

"What's going on?" Black demanded. "Elder I swear I didn't betray James and Lily."

"Pettigrew was the betrayer," the Elder said. "My friends captured him last night the same time they captured you."

"You have that bastard!" Black strained against his restraints. Pettigrew was here. He would kill him with his bear hands.

Sinclair watched him for a few moments. "Albus Dumbledore is the head of your Order. Other members include Arthur and Molly Weasley, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagal, Kingsley Shacklebolt, most likely that young Auror I've seen him spend time with, Tonks I believe. And Albus has been using Snape as a spy in the Death Eaters."

Why was the Elder telling the Order's secrets in front of a muggle? How did he know the Orders secrets?

"Grayden?" the Elder asked.

"It's definitely flaring up when you mention this Order and the names," Grayden replied. "But that isn't confirmation that is protected information. It just might be related to protected information."

"It is confirmation enough," the Elder replied. His face softened. "I am sorry Sirius. Until today I did not know Pettigrew was still alive. Albus never told me and I never bothered to learn."

"Where are Moody and Remus?" Black asked.

The Elder paused. So Lupin was the other person in the house. Fool indeed. "Alastor was injured when he was captured. He will be fine."

"Where's Remus?" Black said through clenched teeth.

Sirius Black was a man of strong passions. He would not take the news well. And he had no reason too. He would most likely respond with violence. Justifiable and controllable. Particularly since he lacked his wand.

"I am sorry Sirius," the Elder said. "Remus Lupin was killed during the raid. My friend's device for stunning did not work and Remus had already disabled one them."

"You murdering bastards!!!!" Sirius tried to pull free from the chair. They killed Remus. The reasons didn't matter. They killed Remus. He would get even.

"It was not their intent," the Elder spoke calmly. "The plan was take everyone in the house alive."

"Murders!!" Black screamed. "Let me out!! I'll kill you!!!"

"I am sorry Sirius," the Elder said. "Stupefy," a red beam shot out from his wand and stunned Black into unconsciousness. Albus never told him. He hadn't told him about the boy either. This had to be resolved now. He turned and left the room.

He was met by Lady Aydin flanking her were two SAS soldiers. Chisholm and Cranston. Behind them were Willow Rosenberg and Dawn Summers along with two of the women that had arrived with them.

"Elder," Lady Aydin said. "What is this Order of the Phoenix?"

"It is Albus' group," he replied.

"So this Dumbledore guy has been running his own fifth column in the Wizarding world the whole time," Dawn said.

"I do not understand the reference," the Elder replied. "But if your meaning is that Albus is running his own group to challenge Voldemort than the answer is yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lady Aydin asked.

"I know most the members of the Order," the Elder said. "I would have made certain to steer any of your attacks away from them."

"That's not an answer," Lady Aydin replied. He saw the steel in her eyes again.

"There is no time to explain," the Elder said. "Albus is no fool. By now he has determined that Tom had nothing to do with the attack on Black's house. He will have learned of the disappearance of five Death Eaters. He will come to the only conclusion he can; that the attack came from outside the Wizarding world."

"Elder I have shown you a great deal of trust," Lady Aydin said. "I know you do not share everything with me, as I do not share everything with you. But this. I can think of no good excuse for withholding information about potential allies."

Albus would not be an ally the Elder thought. Protecting the 'balance' was too precious to him. Except, he had the boy. Something had changed.

"Sophia," the Elder spoke quietly. "Please, I have made a grave mistake and a good man has died as a result. You must allow me the chance to fix this. I must go now."

Lady Aydin stared at the Elder. She studied him. She had known him for nearly fifteen years. Which given his age probably meant she did not know him very well at all. Uncle Micah had trusted him and told her to do the same.

"Let him go," she said.

"Just a second," Willow said. "Are you telling us we may have hit the good guys? I want answers now."

"Young lady," the Elder said. "You will have your answers. But not now. I must deal with Albus."

Willow's eye's narrowed. Lady Aydin felt a brush of power.

"Willow," Lady Aydin said. "Let him go."

"But..."

"He will return," Lady Aydin said. "And he will make a full accounting of himself." She turned her attention back to the Elder. "I will hold you to that Edgar. I want the full story. No editing."

"You have my word Sophia," the Elder replied. "I will tell you everything when I return."

"Very well," Sophia said. "Major Chisholm, escort the Elder off the base."

"Yes Ma'am," came the reply.

"Sirius will be difficult when awakes," the Elder said. "Remove his restraints and make certain he is kept comfortable."

With that the Elder allowed himself to be escorted off the base by the two SAS officers. He had to walk a short distance outside the fence before he was outside the cover of the protective wards. Then he disappeared with a loud pop.


	34. Chapter Thirty Three Old Friends

Chapter Thirty Three – Old Friends

It had been a difficult morning for Albus Dumbledore. Umbridge had insisted on daily meetings to review every aspect of school operations. Ordinarily Albus might welcome the opportunity to delegate some of the more tiresome aspects of managing the school to someone else. But Umbridge was an annoyance. Worse she knew nothing about running a school. Her last posting had been to Azkaban. Add to that her open hostility. It took an enormous amount of self-control to keep from simply dealing with the women in the most expedient manner available.

But Umbridge was little more than an annoyance. One that would be dealt with at the proper time. The attack on the headquarters dominated his thoughts. It could not have been Tom. Tom didn't have the power to attack the headquarters and prevent him from learning about it until after it happened. His first warning had come from the pictures in his office.

Phineas had said a part of himself was missing. A few minutes later one of the protective charms he had set up to monitor the house had gone off. Phineas had been trying to get to house all morning. But the connection was still too disrupted.

Dumbledore looked up from his desk when he heard the crack of someone apparating into his office.

"The pictures have quieted Dumbledore," someone said.

"And what of Kreacher Dobby?" Albus asked.

"Just says 'house is dark', Mistress is dead,'" Dobby replied.

"Have any of the pictures been able to say what happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"Dobby asked," came the replied. "Pictures just scream again. Won't say. Dobby's ears hurt."

"Thank you Dobby," Dumbledore said. "You have done well. You may return to the kitchen. Speak of this to no one."

"Dobby did good," Dobby jumped up and down. "Did good for Dumbledore. Dobby go back now. Dobby tell no one," the house elf disappeared.

Dumbledore started thinking through everything he knew. Lucius Malfoy and Victor Goyle had gone missing sometime last night. Most likely other Death Eaters had disappeared as well. Someone unknown had attacked the Order headquarters and it appears struck the Death Eaters.

Who would do such a thing?

He picked up a small bag on the side of his desk. He took out the odd device he found at the house the previous night. He set it on his desk and placed a magical barrier around it to keep the stringing smoke from spreading. He had never encountered such a device. He motioned with his wand and small crystal that had been sitting on one of the tables in his office flew into his outstretched hand. He waved it over the device.

The crystal was ancient. It was designed to sense the presence of certain types of magic. Nothing happened. The crystal didn't glow. The device had no magic.

Dumbledore waved his wand again and the odd device floated off the desk and began slowly spinning, giving Dumbledore time to study each side carefully. He saw some numbers and letters on the bottom. Nothing he understood. A few symbols, arrows and such in various places. The device had no magic. That meant it wasn't created in the Wizarding world. It was a muggle device.

Muggles had attacked the Order and the Death Eaters. Why? How could they even breach the protections around the Wizarding world? Who would have the knowledge to do such a thing?

The Crown.

It made a certain amount of sense. The Crown's mage had created the barriers. Logically they would know the most about how they worked. The Crown had also been informed of Black's escape. And would have been justifiably worried.

But that didn't explain how it had been done. Or how anyone had even known to strike at the Death Eaters. The Ministry would never have informed the Crown of possibility that Voldemort had returned. Dumbledore shook his head. Too many questions.

"Headmaster," one of the pictures said.

"Yes," Dumbledore looked up. It was the Headmaster from his days as a student.

"Someone says to meet him at the place of the nameless wizard," the picture replied.

Dumbledore stopped.

"Do you know whom?" he asked.

"No," came the reply. "He kept a cloth over my picture. I just heard what he told me."

Edgar. This was not a coincidence. Dumbledore took out his watch. He still had an hour until lunch. Best to go now.

* * *

The cottage sat in a small clearing deep in the woods. It was located outside the enclaves. The wizard who had lived there preferred living outside away from his people. No one remembered his name. There were only a few who remembered what he did. To most he was a legend. Something to frighten young wizards. The wizard had no followers. That wasn't his way. But he was vicious and extremely powerful. People would disappear. Sometimes bodies would be found. Sometimes the bodies could even be identified. Many Aurors had been dispatched to find the killer. The lucky ones died quickly.

The nameless wizard had finally been tracked to his small cottage by two young wizards. They were only a couple of years removed from their Hogwarts days. Despite being sorted into two different houses, ones with a long reputation for animosity, the two had struck up a friendship from the first day they met. The battle between the two and the old wizard that called the cottage home had been a long and vicious one. Finally after over an hour of spells and counter spells the two young wizards prevailed.

No one other then the two friends knew about the battle or where it had been fought. All the Wizarding world knew was that the mysterious bringer of death had vanished.

Dumbledore appeared outside the cottage. He braced himself against the cold. The house was located far to the north and the winter snows had come early. A close examination of the grounds around the cottage would reveal signs of the battle that happened over a century ago. Odd plants that didn't grow anywhere else, places where the snow just melted away and scorch marks on the trees that would never heal.

Dumbledore made his way to the cottage door. He opened it. It was a one room cottage. On one side was a small table with two chairs and few cabinets and small bed. The other side had the things the nameless wizard used to entertain himself. Dumbledore preferred not look at that part of the cabin.

Elder Sinclair was sitting at the table. Dumbledore took the chair opposite him.

For few moments the two just took the time to study one another.

Sinclair acted first. He pulled out the folder he received from Lady Aydin the day before and set it down in front of Albus. A tap from his wand and it opened to a page revealing a very detailed family tree. Off to the side of some the names could be seen a few hand written notes added by Sinclair.

"What is this Edgar?" Dumbledore asked.

"The Evan's family tree," Sinclair replied. "Why didn't you tell me about the boy? Why didn't you tell me you were looking for a way out of the cage?"

Dumbledore looked down at the neatly typed list of names. Typed? That was telling. Most of what he saw there confirmed what he knew or suspected.

"I had intended to tell you everything after you agreed to the Fidelius," Dumbledore replied.

"You knew I would never agree to bound to your Fidelius Albus," Sinclair said. "You should have told me."

"You know the risks this type of knowledge entails Edgar," Dumbledore said. "I had to be certain."

"Certain," Sinclair spat. "Whatever our differences Albus, you know what this means to me. How could you not be certain?"

"There is too much happening Edgar," Dumbledore replied. "Too much beyond my control, beyond my vision. This had to be kept secret, secure. No one else knows of this," Dumbledore paused. "But I am not the only one keeping secrets."

"No you are not," Sinclair replied.

"You went to the Crown," Dumbledore said. "You went to your counterpart under the Covenant."

"The Ministry may have stripped my family of its position three centuries ago but the power and the knowledge does not lie in the position. It lies in the blood," Sinclair said. "I had every right to go to my counterpart."

"What have you done Edgar?" Dumbledore demanded. "You understand the danger. If the Crown decides to declare the Covenant void all of our peoples' protections disappear. We are not ready to face the world."

"I did what needed to be done Albus," Sinclair replied. "Do you have any idea how close the Crown came to declaring the Covenant void thirteen years ago? It took every bit of skill and cunning I had to persuade Micah to give our people more time to deal with Tom. Even then, if it had not been for Potter, the Covenant would be void."

"The Crown had no way to know just how bad things had gotten," Dumbledore said.

"They are not fools Albus," Sinclair said. "Even before I began working with them they had contacts among the squibs and a few others in our world. They knew how bad things were. And they have access to resources even I did not suspect. Why didn't you tell me Black was one of yours?"

"So it was the Crown that attacked the headquarters," Dumbledore said. "What happened to Sirius and the others?"

"They took Sirius and Alastor alive," Sinclair answered. "Remus Lupin was killed."

Dumbledore visibly slumped. "You allowed them to attack the Order."

"I did not know it was Order!" Sinclair shouted back. "How long have you known Pettigrew was alive? How long have you known Black was innocent? Why didn't you tell me?!"

Dumbledore looked at Sinclair, "If you had agreed to the Fidelius, agreed to work with me, I would have told you everything."

"Don't throw the Fidelius back at me Albus," Sinclair said in a measured voice. "You knew I would never agree to those terms. Not after what you did."

"I did what had to be done," Dumbledore spoke in equally measured tones. "I thought it was the only way to control him."

"You trained Tom, you chose to initiate him into the true mysteries, you created Voldemort, you created the man that murdered my son."

"He was growing too powerful," Dumbledore replied. "I did not know that Salazar Slytherin had left the means to means to break the binding magic in the Chamber."

"So Tom did open the Chamber," Sinclair said.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Salazar left behind a Basilisk to guard the Chamber. Harry killed it three years ago. I searched the Chamber after it had been reopened. There were signs Salazar left behind a great many things. Things that Tom took with him after he left school."

"Giving him access to our peoples' true history and the freedom to act on that knowledge," Sinclair said. "But absent the knowledge you gave him, he would have become little more than an annoyance."

"You did not tell me you were going to the Crown," Dumbledore said. "I assume your allies are also responsible for Lucius Malfoy's and Victor Golye's disappearances."

"Along with Flint and Pucey," Sinclair said. "We also captured Pettigrew, alive and reasonably undamaged."

"You do know how Tom will react?"

"Of course," Sinclair said. "He will attack his own people first. The way the others were taken it will look like betrayal. If he looks outside, he will look to you. Leaving my allies free to act."

"Making the Order a target," Dumbledore said.

"The Order is already a target," Sinclair replied. "You use them to keep the Death Eaters busy and Tom distracted while you plot. I decided to take more direct action."

"By enlisting the Crown?" Dumbledore said. "The risk."

"And waiting for Tom to strike, allowing him dictate the terms of battle, is a greater risk."

Sinclair stopped and slumped back into his chair.

"Do you remember the promise we made to each other back at school Albus?"

Dumbledore nodded, "We swore we would never become the Old Men. The ones behind the curtains that manipulated others into to fighting their battles for them."

"When did we become the Old Men Albus?"

"I don't know Edgar," Albus sighed. "Perhaps when we stopped talking to each other."

"We could spend the next hour trading justifications for our actions over the past few years, but it would not change the fact that we are both fools."

"No it would not," Albus replied. "We must fix this my old friend. I should have trusted you. Not demanded a Fidelius. You are the last person Tom could break."

"And I should have trusted you," Sinclair sighed. "I should have told you what I planned. So what do we do now?"

"Harry," Dumbledore said. "He is the one who can free our people."

"Then you truly are seeking a way out of the cage?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered. "If there is one thing I learned from Tom, it is that the balance was destroyed many centuries ago. Our people are dying. Our world is falling into darkness. We have forgotten the old truths. And the few we remember we no longer teach."

"My studies of the curses are not as extensive as yours Albus," Sinclair replied. "But if I read them correctly, the boy is now linked to Tom."

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "And that link has grown stronger since Tom has been revived."

"So long as that link remains the boy can not achieve his true destiny," Sinclair observed. "Removing Tom is even more important than ever."

"So long as the link remains, simply killing Tom is not an option," Dumbledore said.

"You are the more devious of the two of us," Sinclair said. "How do we get around this problem?"

"You were the one sorted into Slytherin," Dumbledore said.

"Of course," Sinclair replied. "I am a devious man. But a truly devious man would never allow himself to be sorted into Slytherin in the first place."

A hint of smile played across Dumbledore's face. "I must return to the school."

"And I must inform my allies of my foolishness," Sinclair said. "Remus was a good man."

"Yes he was," Dumbledore replied, sadness in his voice. "And our foolish pride killed him. What was that phrase you said a couple of months ago? 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.'"

"Something I would have done well to ponder myself," Sinclair replied with equal sadness.

"We must revive our old promise Edgar."

"You are correct Albus. Hiding behind the curtains is no longer an option. We must act. It is the only way to remove Tom and free the Potter boy to fulfill his destiny."


	35. Chapter Thirty Four The Dark Lord

Chapter Thirty Four – The Dark Lord

"Crucio!"

A scream echoed through the chamber.

"Where is your husband?" a voice asked from the darkness.

"I s-swear My L-lord, I-I do n-not know," came the answer.

"Crucio!"

Another scream.

"Where is Lucius?"

"Master p-please," Narcissa Malfoy said a panting voice. "I d-don't know. He dis-disappeared. He told, he t-told me n-nothing."

"I set a task for him last night," came the voice. A muggle paper landed floor in front of Narcissa. Through the tears in her eyes she could make out a headline about a missing woman. "A task he seems to have completed," the voice said again. "Where is he my dear? What part do you play in his betrayal?"

"I know, I know n-nothing M-master," Narcissa replied. "L-Lucius n-never spoke of be-betrayal. We serve, we serve faithfully."

"And that is why you denied me for thirteen years," the voice said. "Why you hid your allegiances. Why neither of you sought for me. Yes, your loyalty and faithfulness is touching. Crucio!"

Another scream.

"Where would Lucius hide?"

"I d-don't, don't know," Narcissa was lying on the ground, barely able to move. "M-master I swear. Lucius n-never t-told, never t-told me he plan-planned betrayal. I am lo-loyal to you. I will hunt d-down my b-bastard husband, hu-hunt him d-down and, and k-kill him."

"Will you now," Voldemort came out of the shadows. "That would be a worthy gesture. But that is not what I require from you my dear."

"Anything M-my L-lord," she whimpered. "I ... I will ... do ... anything."

"Remove her," Voldemort motioned to two masked men. "I will tell her what I require of her later."

The men picked up Narcissa Malfoy and dragged her out of the room. A third man remained.

"What of the others My Lord?" he asked.

"Leave them for now," Voldemort answered. "Go. I will summon you when I require something."

"Yes Master," the man bowed and left the chamber, leaving Voldemort alone with his thoughts.

Lucius has betrayed me, he thought. Somehow he has managed to hide himself as well. It did not matter. Sooner or later he would be forced to come out of hiding and Voldemort would kill him, painfully. It was a shame to lose Wormtail. The sniveling worm had his uses. Lucius almost certainly killed him. He might have been able to turn the others. But not Wormtail; he was tied to Voldemort too tightly. In the end he would always crawl back to his Master.

It seems his fears about the loyalty of his Death Eaters were well founded. He must move up his plans. Others also needed to be informed. He turned and walked back into the shadows. He came to the wall. He reached out with his wand and tapped a series of bricks in a very precise pattern.

The bricks began to separate and a passage opened in the wall. No one else knew the passage was here. He entered and passage and began making his way down the hallway. Behind him the wall closed back up.

After a few moments he entered a large circular chamber. The floor was covered with an ancient symbol. A circle, within a large serpent like dragon dominated, flanked by two twin snakes, both striking in their similarity to the Slytherin House symbol. Voldemort walked to the center of the circle and held up his wand. The torches around the chamber wall flared into life.

"Why have you summoned me?" a voice echoed from the shadows.

"My servants failed to return," Voldemort responded. "It seems they believe they can challenge their Lord."

"Your Death Eaters' loyalty and effectiveness has always been in question," the voice said in menacing tones.

"It merely means a slight acceleration of my plans," Voldemort said. "I will free those whose loyalties can never be questioned. It is sooner than I planned. But it changes nothing."

"See that it does not," the voice grew stronger. "Slytherin made many promises to me. Promises I have waited over a thousand years to see fulfilled. As Slytherin's heir you inherit his responsibilities."

"Your patience shall be rewarded," Voldemort smiled. "Soon I will purge my people's blood of the filth that infests it. And once we are pure, we shall conquer all. Remaking the world into a paradise fit for the strong."

"You make many promises Voldemort, like your predecessor. But you are tainted with impurity."

"I burned the impurity out of my blood," Voldemort smiled. "I removed the filth that spawned me. I am pure. As all should be."

"Yes, your drive is not to be questioned," the voice responded. "But your servants. That is another matter. I will provide you with some of my servants. Their loyalty cannot be questioned. They will do what needs to be done. I have granted you power beyond that of your kind. I will make certain it is used properly."

"I thank you for your generosity," Voldemort said. "I will provide you with a feast such as you have never experienced before."

"Yes the promise must be fulfilled. My servants will arrive shortly. Keep them hidden for now. Do not draw attention to them or yourself."

"I have taken steps to make certain my return has gone unnoticed," Voldemort replied. "The muggle-loving fool Dumbledore is trapped by his school. Discredited by men who do not even know they are my servants. His Order of the Phoenix chases after shadows of my choosing. And this betrayal provides opportunities. A way to keep my enemies on the defensive. The final battle will be fought on my terms."

"Be wary, Dumbledore is not the only power in this world," the voice replied. "Keep your servants in check. Their activities outside may draw unwanted attention."

"The muggles are no threat," Voldemort sneered. "And the others cannot see into this world. We will take them by surprise. You shall feast. And I shall burn this world until all is pure. Until only paradise remains. The promise of Slytherin shall be fulfilled."

"See that it is," the voice replied. "Or I will withdraw the power I have granted you and you will suffer the same fate as your predecessor."

"I have passed through death," Voldemort replied. "I shall not fail in this."


	36. Chapter Thirty Five Two Talks

Chapter Thirty Five – Two Talks

"Dawn?"

"Not now Giles," came the reply. "I'm working."

"You've been working non-stop for over 30 hours," Giles said. "Whatever you are looking for can wait for a few minutes."

"I'm looking for what I missed," Dawn said. "Where I screwed up."

"Dawn, you cannot blame yourself for what happened," Giles said. "We all made the same mistake."

"It's my responsibility Giles," Dawn said. Giles moved into the office. Dawn still hadn't moved. Files were strung all over her desk and Dawn was still hunched over scanning through the papers. She hadn't even looked up to acknowledge him. "It's my job to make sure we have the best information. My job to make sure we go after the right people. I screwed up. It doesn't matter if the rest of you made the same mistake, it's my job to make sure mistakes like this don't happen."

"Dawn," Giles walked up to her desk.

"Go away Giles."

Giles reached down and pulled away the file Dawn was reading and tossed it on the ground.

"We are going to talk Dawn."

Dawn finally looked up from the desk. She looked exhausted. Giles sat down in one of the offices chairs. Dawn slumped back into her chair and turned to stare at the wall.

"Dawn."

"Save it Giles," Dawn said. "I know what you're going to say. We acted on the best information we had. We had no way of knowing this 'Order of the Phoenix' existed. You approved the plan. MI5 acted on the same data. Just save it. I still screwed up."

"We all made the same assumptions," Giles said.

"It's my job to question assumptions," Dawn said. "We treated this whole 'Wizarding world' thing the same way we treat every demon problem. Identify the big bad, locate the big bad, kill the big bad. We just assumed everything could be narrowed down to Riddle and his followers. That was stupid from the opening bell. 200,000 people. We should have assumed multiple factions. We should have done more to check whether or not other groups were going after Riddle. We didn't. I didn't."

Giles sighed. "Dawn, you have an enormous number of responsibilities. The situation with Riddle is one of dozen projects you are juggling right now. You are doing a good job of delegating research assignments but you are still stretched thin. No one but you expects you to be able to keep track of every detail of every project. It's natural to make assumptions to try and find a short cut through a problem."

"You don't get it Giles," Dawn replied. "This isn't about taking a short cut. We are treating the whole situation wrong."

"Dawn."

"Damn it Giles!" Dawn shouted. "Listen. We've been dancing around this for two months. We've said a dozen times how amazing it is that 200,000 people can live undetected for centuries. But we still treat the problem the same way we treat a demon clan at one of the Hellmouths. We assign a team, give them research support and then let it play out. That won't work here. We're dealing with an entire world."

"What are you suggesting we do Dawn?" Giles asked. "Back off. Allow Riddle and his followers to slaughter these people."

"No," Dawn replied. "But we need to rethink our approach. This world has lived in relative isolation for over a thousand years. They have no idea magic exists outside their world. No idea that there are 'muggles' who are not only aware of their existence but have the means to attack them on their own terms. We have no idea how they will react. And our first choice for contact was to go in guns blazing. Worse we've haven't done any real research into how they got the way they are."

"Is that what you've been doing for the last 30 hours," Giles said. "Trying to find answers."

"We've said before how strange it is that Wizards stay in the enclaves," Dawn said. "But it goes deeper than that. Everybody likes Quidditch. And don't mean the way everybody in England likes Soccer. Everybody likes Quidditch. It's the only major organized sport that's played in the Wizarding world. The Daily Prophet is the only major source of news. You get regional variations but basically it's the USA Today of the Wizarding world. Variations in public opinion are differences in degree, not in kind."

"Dawn this fascinating," Giles said. "But I fail to see the significance."

"Go to any small city of 200,000 people and walk around," Dawn said. "Generally speaking there will be multiple news sources. There might be one or two dominate papers, but multiple local news channels. Probably even an alternative press. Oddball shows on cable access. Public opinion will vary all over the political spectrum. There will be half dozen organized team sports for kids. Maybe even one or two pro sports teams. Reading these reports, there is an incredible sameness to the Wizarding world."

"Dawn, you just finished saying how little information we have on the Wizarding world," Giles said. "Sweeping generalities won't work."

"Consider the attitude towards 'muggles'," Dawn said. "They tend to vary between indifference to fascination to outright hatred. But there is universal agreement that 'muggles' should not learn about the Wizarding world. That doesn't make sense. Especially since they don't teach people their true history. Why the universal agreement to stay inside the enclaves? To keep muggles out? Among a population this large there should be a sizable percentage that disagrees with the policy. But there isn't. Over the last one hundred years there has never been a proposal made to loosen the secrecy policies, only proposals to strengthen them. Most of which pass."

"What are you suggesting?" Giles said. "How do you explain this?"

"I can't Giles," Dawn said. "That's the point. We don't know anything. We make assumptions and charge ahead. We go out and kill innocent people!" Dawn slammed her hands down and angrily shoved a stack of papers off her desk. "Because I didn't look hard enough! Because I didn't see the right pattern! Because I didn't ask the right questions!" she slumped back down into her chair. "Because I failed."

Giles got up from his chair, walked around the desk pulled Dawn out of her chair, she didn't bother to resist, and hugged her. She cried.

"You didn't fail Dawn," he said softly. "You made a mistake. We all made a mistake. A terrible mistake. But you can't let it destroy you. You have to learn from it."

"When did things get so complicated?" she sobbed. "It was so much simpler."

"Yes, quite," Giles replied. "There are days when I miss Sunnydale."

"At least we knew where we stood," Dawn said. "Now we're setting up a legal office in Cleveland. Making plans to do the same thing here. Trying to keep track of two hundred plus Slayers. Juggling offices all over the world. I can just barely keep up anymore. And now we have something totally new to deal with and I don't know what to do."

"None of us know what to do," Giles said. He sat Dawn back into her chair and knelt beside her. "We do what we have always done. The best we can. We are going to make mistakes."

"We can't make these kind of mistakes Giles," Dawn stared at the floor.

"I know. But we make them anyway. That's what it means to be human."

"I'm not human remember," Dawn said. "I'm supposed to have a role in this. I still don't know what that role is."

"Dawn, you're human," Giles said. "Don't ever question that. As Buffy said, it's doesn't matter what you were before. You are one of us now."

"And I'm still the Key," Dawn said. "How am I supposed to help if I don't even know what the hell is going on? When I let this happen."

"I wish I had easy answers Dawn," Giles said. "But you know there are no easy answers in this world. Not with the things we deal with. Have you heard anything from Gray?"

"He's still checking his sources," Dawn replied. "It's slow going. He has to do things very quietly."

"Get some sleep," Giles said. "This will all still be here in the morning."

"In a little while," Dawn said. "I need to clean up."

"Now Dawn," Giles said.

"Don't get Ripper on me," Dawn said. "You're getting old. I could probably take you."

"You are becoming delusional. You need sleep," Giles said. He pulled her out her chair again and began marching her towards the door. "I'll get one the Slayers to drive you home."

"You're trying to get me to sleep Giles, not scare me to death."

"You're going home," Giles said. "I told Willow to lock you out of the system so can't do any work from your home computer. You will go to sleep."

"I have to figure this stuff out."

"Tomorrow."

"Fine," Dawn sighed. "A couple of hours. But I'm coming back."

* * *

Eric walked up to the small house Faye shared with a couple of the other Slayers based in London. He knocked on the door. Debra answered.

"Hey Eric," she said. "You're here to see Faye."

"Yea," he replied. "How is she?"

"She's not talking," Debra replied. "I took her four out of four falls during our sparing session. I usually only get one off of her. It's weird. She's always quiet, but not like this."

Eric nodded. It was almost as bad as when Rona died. Faye just closed up after that. It had taken almost a month to get her back out of her shell and moving her to England to get her to smile again. Damn. She was finally starting to become herself again.

"I take it she's up in her room," Eric said.

"Yea," came the reply. Debra opened the door wider and moved out the way. It wasn't an explicit invitation to enter but rather what Robin grilled into each Slayer during their training. Eric entered the house and made his way upstairs. He reached Faye's door and stopped.

"Come in Eric," Faye said from inside. "Door's not locked."

He opened to door and found her lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. He looked around the room. Posters from old TV shows and movies were on the walls. Her bookshelf was neatly arranged and dominated by books about filmmaking and biographies of various actors. He sat down on a chair.

"So, I suppose you're here to cheer me up," Faye said. "Regale me with a tale from your days at Princeton."

"You have to talk to someone Faye," Eric noted.

"We just exchanged words," she replied. "That qualifies as talking. You've fulfilled your duties as a Watcher. You can leave."

"When have I ever been that easy?" Eric asked.

"I helped kill an innocent man," Faye said. "That's not why Slayers exist. We protect the innocent. We don't kill them. Liz taught me better than that."

Eric paused. It always came back to her first Watcher. Elizabeth. She had spent two years training Faye in secret. Then the First came and Bringers killed Liz. Eric had only just barely arrived in time to save Faye.

"Liz would have understood the reasons why it happened," Eric said. "We didn't know."

"I should have known," Faye said. "I should have sensed something."

"You're a Slayer Faye. Not a God. However good your senses are, they're not omniscient."

"And now we come to the part where you tell me some story from Princeton about an old roommate or bloke you met at the pub."

"Not this time," Eric said. "Have I ever told you why I ended up going to Princeton in the first place?"

"No."

"It started with the biggest fight Grandfather and I ever had."

"Eric," Faye said. "I really don't want to listen to a story."

"You're going to hear it anyway," Eric replied. "Grandfather began grooming me to take over the Council soon after my father was killed. I had access to almost everything. He wanted me to spend time studying the Council's history, to make certain I understood to nature of the war."

"And this relates to me how?"

"I'll get to that," Eric said. "As you know there were several hundred young women with the potential to become Slayers at any given point in time. The Council never had the resources to station a Watcher with each and every one of them."

"I know this stuff Eric."

"Just listen," Eric said. "Over the centuries the Council developed the means to determine which Potentials were most likely to be called. They could read the signs, prophecies, other sources. They could generally narrow the possibilities down to ten to fifteen girls, sometimes as many as twenty. But it was a manageable number. They stationed Watchers with the Potentials most likely to be called."

"So I was one of the girls who was next in line after Faith."

"Along with Sixteen others that had Watchers assigned," Eric said. "Or so the Council believed. The system worked fairly well for centuries. The majority of Slayers called came from the group that had Watchers. But reading through the Council's histories I noticed something. The system began to break down over the last 200 hundred years. Increasingly more and more Slayers were being called from the Potentials that didn't have Watchers or had only had Watchers assigned a month or two before they were called."

"Fascinating, still wondering what all this has to do with me."

"I noticed something else," Eric said. "Those Slayers were living longer and becoming more successful than the ones who had been under the Council's control prior to their being called. I pointed this out to Grandfather and said that perhaps someone was trying to tell us something about our stewardship of the Slayer line. That perhaps the Powers were sending us a message."

"I bet he didn't take that very well."

"No he didn't," Eric smiled. "We argued for hours. I was seventeen. That was the first major fight my Grandfather and I ever had. I ended up going to Princeton in a mutual decision to spend some time away from each other."

"Great story. No relation to me though."

"It does relate to you."

"How?"

"Because Slayers like you and Faith and Buffy are proof that I was right," Eric said. "The Council viewed the Slayer as a tool. A means to an end. We assumed we knew everything there was to know about what it meant to be Slayer. We didn't know a damn thing. You and Faith. You both have your hypersensitivity. You both feel death more than most other Slayers. You both can sense magic better than other Slayers, even Buffy. You're natural trackers. The Council never bothered to explore those differences. To learn what they meant to girls who had to live that power. If we had the fiasco with Faith might never have happened."

"Then there's Buffy ability to project the Slayer. You can do it, but not as well she can. The skills and the powers vary from Slayer to Slayer. The Council just assumed you all came out of one mold."

"We're different," Faye said. "Got it. Doesn't help. My sensitivity is the reason I stick to demon hunting. Dealing with humans puts us where we are now. I don't understand how the Powers think I can help. All I did was get a man killed."

"Because we're dealing with magic," Eric said. "And you can feel your away around magic better than most other Slayers. Debra's the same. So is Suzzette. That sensitivity is what's needed."

"Didn't help much this time."

"We can't change the past Faye," Eric said. "We can only learn and apply it to the future. But sitting in your room and not talking to anyone is not going to make things better. It's not going to make things right."

"And we move to the cliché portion of the talk."

"Fine, I'm done for now," Eric got up from his chair. "After the Scoobies, I'm one the first guys who say the Powers have a wonderful ability to screw us. But I admit they do tend to pick the right people for a job. And one thing the Council does know about Slayers. You can't walk away. It's not in your nature."


	37. Chapter Thirty Six A Little Annoyed

Chapter Thirty Six – A little Annoyed

"So when is Sinclair supposed to be bringing his 'friend' by?" Kennedy asked.

"They should be arriving in a few minutes," Lady Aydin replied. "I'm surprised Dawn and Rupert are not here."

"Giles is dealing with a problem in Germany," Willow said. She was standing at the far end of Lady Aydin's office studying one of the pictures on the wall. "He finally got Dawn to go home and get some sleep a couple of hours ago. We decided to let her be. She doesn't need to be here for this. She's work free until the morning."

Lady Aydin heard the anger in Willow's voice. She had debated trying to keep the Council out of this meeting. But that simply was not an option. They were angry. Very angry. Both at her and MI5 for failing to give them complete information and at themselves for failing to ask the right questions. Keeping them from this meeting would have exacerbated their anger. Not that she could have. She very much doubted the buildings wards would prove much more than a nuisance to Willow. No they needed the answers from Sinclair and Dumbledore as badly as she did.

"That's assuming Dawn hasn't figured out how to hack past your firewalls," Kennedy said. "She's not one to walk away from a research project."

"She has to be able to turn on her computer first," Willow said. "Or open a book in order to do any work."

"Honey, what did you do?" Kennedy asked

"I just made sure Dawn couldn't do any work," Willow answered. She continued to stare at the picture. "She's had maybe three hours of sleep in the last two days. I'll let her have her shot at these guys when she's fully rested."

"A fully rested and pissed off Dawn Summers. Their funeral," Kennedy nodded and turned her attention back to Lady Aydin, "How are your guests?"

"Moody is still sedated," Lady Aydin answered. "He has a radial fracture of his right arm, a couple of broken ribs, a broken jaw and a severe concussion. Black is in one of the dorms used by the SAS. Sinclair's talk seems to have calmed him down for the moment."

"And the Death Eaters?"

"Pettigrew is being kept secured, the others are still being treated for their injuries," Lady Aydin replied. "Malfoy in particular is a tough case. In addition to a broken arm, most of his ribs are broken, cracked or bruised. And he had severe trauma to his spinal column. It's debatable whether or not he will be able to walk again."

"I'll have to talk with Debra about controlling her strength when dealing with normal humans," Kennedy said. "Granted, the guy's lucky he's not dead, but she didn't need to do that much damage to take him down."

Lady Aydin shook her head. She had to agree with the assessment though. With her strength the Slayer most likely could have crushed Malfoy's heart with one blow.

"At least we caught some bad guys," Willow said. Her back was still to Lady Aydin as she continued to study the picture. Lady Aydin was fairly certain Willow wasn't even seeing the picture. Her shoulders were tense. The whiff of power continued to flow from her. Magic responded to emotion. And Lady Aydin had spent enough time studying people to know there was a lot of emotion in Willow right now.

"I assumed Faye would also take part in this meeting. She is running point on your dealings with Wizarding world," Lady Aydin said.

"She's taking some down time," Kennedy said. Lady Aydin remember watching Faye deflate when Sinclair reappeared at the compound and explained that Sirius Black and the others were actually working for Dumbledore against Riddle. The other Slayers present had reacted quite badly. She recalled her experience in the astral plain. The Slayer was a predator. A predator that hunted killers. How does being involved in the death of an innocent affect a Slayer, she wondered. Eric had shuffled her off the compound fairly quickly.

"Just how well do you know this Sinclair guy?" Kennedy inquired.

"I've known him for nearly fifteen years," Lady Aydin replied. "My Uncle knew him longer. He is a guarded man. He knows that Her Majesty's government prefers to take a hands off role when dealing with the supernatural. As such he tends to push for the most radical course of action in an effort to push us into taking some action."

"Sounds like a devious guy," Kennedy noted.

"He mentioned something about being sorted into Slytherin once," Lady Aydin said. "He said that meant he had little choice in the matter. I'm not certain I fully understand the reference. Something to do with the house structure at Hogwarts. I believe he meant it as a joke."

Willow looked away from the picture she was 'staring' at and towards the front of the building.

"Sinclair and someone else just arrived outside," Willow said. "They should be up in a couple of minutes."

* * *

The night air was cold and damp. Two old men appeared in alley a block away from Lady Aydin's office. They walked out of the alley and towards their destination. The hour was late and almost no one was on the street. If anyone had seen them they would have been startled by how different and yet how alike the two were.

One was neatly groomed with short hair and a well-trimmed beard wearing a conservative if somewhat dated business suit. The other had long unkempt hair and long beard that looked like it hadn't been trimmed in decades. He was wearing a suit that would have been considered loud in the seventies.

But the differences ended there. Anyone who took the time to study the men would note that they both walked with confidence. Both had eyes that seemed to miss no detail of world around them. Both projected an air of power.

"It is a late hour for a meeting," Dumbledore said.

"You can't exactly leave school in the middle of the day without attracting Dolores' suspicions," Sinclair replied.

"You know these people better than I Edgar. Any further advice."

"The grandfather act will not work on Sophia," Sinclair said. "She is an intelligent and insightful woman. And she already has ample reason to be wary of both of us."

"And this Council of Watchers and Slayers you spoke of?" Dumbledore asked.

"I have had little time to learn anything of them," Sinclair replied.

"Your granddaughter works for MI5, surely she has provided you with information."

"Only a limited amount. I will not use her as a spy against MI5. Jennifer has grown into her own woman. She is loyal to the Crown. Besides Sophia and Sir Ian would see through such a deception with ease."

"And it would be unworthy of you to use her in such a manner," Dumbledore smiled. "So what do you know?"

"I do not have to tell you not to be fooled by appearances," the Elder replied. "These Slayers have power. Of what nature I do not yet know. They learned of the Wizarding world on their own. And found a way around the protective magic of the Covenant. They captured five of Tom's Death Eaters and one of them took Alastor by herself."

"Impressive," Dumbledore said. "They could make powerful allies. We must be careful in how we approach this meeting. We do not know their connection to the old magic. We dare not tell them of our longer term goals."

"Agreed," Sinclair replied. "But we need their aid to deal with Tom. But until we know more of their power, this remains a battle with Tom."

"We shall learn soon enough," Dumbledore looked up at the building. The two entered the lobby and walked up to the guard at the desk.

"Mr. Sinclair," the guard said. "Two visits in one week. Here is your visitor's badge. You are Mr. Dumbledore I presume?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered.

The guard handed Dumbledore a sign-in sheet. "Read the form and sign your name at the bottom. I'll also need to see your identification."

"And what is this?" Dumbledore asked handing the guard the card Sinclair had provided him.

"Standard security form," the guard answered. "I'll ring Lady Aydin that you have arrived. Just wait a few moments and someone will be here to escort you up," the guard turned his attention to the phone. Lady Aydin always got the most interesting visitors he thought. Although he much preferred the attractive young ladies that had arrived earlier.

A few moments later another guard arrived and escorted the two men up to Lady Aydin's office. Teresa had already left for the night so the guard announced the arrival of Lady Aydin's guests and showed them into her office.

Albus Dumbledore took the time to study the three women in the room. Lady Aydin sat calmly behind her desk. She was middle-aged, vigorous. Dumbledore met her eyes and saw the steel in them. Edgar was right, a formidable woman. She would not be flustered or handled like Cornelius Fudge.

His attention turned to a young woman seated at one of the chairs. A brunette. Power radiated off the woman. One of the Slayers Edgar spoke of. She was young but she had the eyes of a person much older. Someone who had seen and done far too much. Harry's eyes were starting to become like that. Dumbledore felt a moment of regret that the world demanded the young grow up so fast.

The third person in the room was standing off to the side. She acknowledged the arrival of the two with a nod. A redhead. He was reminded of the Weasley clan. She didn't radiate power like the Slayer did. But she had the same eyes, although perhaps even older.

"Elder," Lady Aydin acknowledged then shifted her attention. "You are Albus Dumbledore."

"I am," Dumbledore replied.

"I know this is inadequate," Lady Aydin began. "I offer my sincere apologies on the death of your friend. If ..."

Dumbledore cut her off, "I understand the reasons for your people's actions Lady Aydin. Much of the blame for what happened rests on my shoulders as well. You were caught up in Edgar's and my mutual deceptions. Sirius and the other members of the Order will most likely not see it that way, but rest assured, I do not hold any animosity towards you or your people."

"I respect your understanding Headmaster," Lady Aydin replied. "Permit me introduce the others. This is Kennedy Winston and Willow Rosenberg."

"Ladies," Dumbledore said. Kennedy nodded at him. Willow was still standing off to the side of the room, seemingly indifferent to what was happening.

"Headmaster," Lady Aydin said.

Dumbledore held up his hand. "Edgar has told me much about you Lady Aydin. Please, call me Albus."

"Very well," Lady Aydin replied. "Albus. The Elder has already explained your Order of the Phoenix and its purpose. But I want to know what your group's intentions are and how you plan to proceed from here."

"Wrong question."

Dumbledore turned his attention back to Willow. She was still studying a picture on the wall.

"Miss Rosenberg, you have a question?" Dumbledore asked.

"What makes Riddle different?" Willow asked.

"Excuse me," Dumbledore replied. "I'm not certain I understand the question."

"You heard me. And I'm pretty certain you understood me," Willow said. "What makes Riddle so special?" She turned to face him. Her eyes were like stone. "You two have power. I can sense that. Why don't you use it? Why play the games?"

"Voldemort is very powerful," Dumbledore replied. He focused his stare at her.

"That's not an answer," Willow said. She matched his stare. Dumbledore thought he saw the white streak appear in her hair. "Grindelwald had power. You dealt with him. Most of your people can't even say the name Voldemort and when they hear it they flinch. What makes him so damn special?"

"Honey?" Kennedy said. Dumbledore noticed the concern in her voice.

"Not now Kennedy," Willow said. "I want to know what about Riddle makes him this big threat. You two operate behind the back of your own government. You deliberately withhold evidence that proves Riddle has returned, and please don't say that your not, nobody in this room is an idiot. You set up your own groups and from what I can see hide information from them as well. So what's the deal?"

"The situation is complicated," Dumbledore said.

"I'm a smart girl," Willow replied.

Dumbledore looked over at Sinclair. How much of the truth did they tell these people? Sinclair shook his head.

"I don't feel this is best time to go into such matters," Dumbledore said. "Edgar and I need..."

Dumbledore felt the power this time. He was about to reach for his wand when Willow simply cocked her head, another streak of white appeared. Suddenly his wand lying on the floor in the middle of the room along with Sinclair's. They were joined less than a second later by his portkey and an old key Dumbledore knew Sinclair used as a portkey. How had she done that? It had been decades since anyone had caught him so off-guard. He had assumed the danger would come from the Slayer.

He reached out with his hand to draw his wand back. It didn't move. He tried again and found that his arm could not move. A paralysis spell. He hadn't even sensed it being cast. Power didn't begin to describe this woman.

"You don't need your wand to answer my question," Willow said.

"Willow," Lady Aydin said. "This is not how I intended to conduct this meeting."

"Not your meeting anymore," Willow said. "I don't like being used by a couple of old men and I'm tired of not knowing what's going on. I want answers."

Kennedy turned back to Lady Aydin and shrugged her shoulders. "My girl wants answers. And so do I," she said. She then looked and Dumbledore, "And you two might want to start answering her questions. This is Willow when she's annoyed. You don't want to see her when she gets angry."

"Sophia," the Elder said. "What do you plan on doing about this?"

"I plan on sending a memo to Sir Ian to modify our directives with regards to the Watchers Council," Lady Aydin replied. "Currently there is a page saying simply, do nothing to anger Willow Rosenberg. It seems he needs to add a page saying to nothing to annoy Willow Rosenberg."

"This is hardly a joking matter," Sinclair replied. "I can't move."

"Depends on ones perspective," Lady Aydin noted. "I had intended to do this much more diplomatically. It seems that is no longer an option. Your deliberate withholding of information has made Her Majesty's government and me responsible for an innocent man's death. I have shown you trust over the years Edgar. Trust which you betrayed. If you want to re-earn that trust I suggest answering Willow's questions."

"You two are strong," Willow said. "Another couple of minutes and you'll break past the paralysis spell and then things might start getting interesting." Willow motioned with her hand and both men slumped forward as the paralysis faded.

Dumbledore rose to his feet, reached out to draw back his wand and hit a mystical barrier.

"Wait Ablus," Sinclair said. "We need them if we are defeat Tom."

Willow motioned with her hand again and the barrier disappeared. "Ok, cards on the table time," Willow said. "We know your world is dying. Your isolation has done something to you. Your culture and your magic have stagnated. We know Tom Riddle is not the main threat you face. He is connected to something larger and more dangerous. We can't help you if you insist on playing your little games."

Dumbledore studied the young woman in front of him. Almost half of her hair had turned white and power radiated off her. But it was her face that drew most of his attention. The look of resolve. She would have her answers one way or another.

"Forgive me ladies," Dumbledore said. "I have grown so use to keeping secrets that I tend to keep them even when the time for secrets has passed." He sat back in his chair.

"Edgar?" Dumbledore looked at his friend.

"It would seem are choices have been reduced to one," Sinclair said. "As I said we need them. Far more than they need us. You were there at the start. It is your tale to begin."

"Then I shall tell you of Tom Riddle and his connection to the mysteries of our world."


	38. Chapter Thirty Seven Story Time

Chapter Thirty Seven – Story Time

"Maybe we should wake Dawn up for this," Kennedy said.

"She needs her sleep," Willow responded. Her hair had returned to its normal red. She waved her hand and a chair slid across the floor from the office's small seating area and stopped next to Dumbledore. Willow walked over and sat down.

"So, story time," Willow said.

Dumbledore took note of the arrangement. Kennedy, a Slayer, whose abilities he still did not know, sat next to Sinclair. Willow, obviously a very powerful mage sat next to him.

"Wait a sec," Willow said. She waved her hand in the direction of the wands on the floor. "You can have those back now."

Dumbledore and Sinclair both held out their hands, the wands flew off the floor and both men caught them. Dumbledore gave his a quick swish and a brief show of sparkles appeared. The wand was undamaged. He summoned his portkey and then tucked both away.

"A very impressive show of magic Miss Rosenberg," Dumbledore said.

Willow shrugged. "Just Willow's fine, Miss Rosenberg makes me feel old," she replied. "It helped that I caught you two off-guard. You also chose to not put up much of a fight."

"I did not come here for conflict," Dumbledore said. "And you did take our wands."

"Like that would stop you," Willow said. "You both accessed your magic without your wands. I could feel you using it to fight the paralysis spell and just now to draw back your wands. And your defenses are powerful enough that I couldn't have done any real damage. You don't need your wands to fight."

"It took many decades of practice to master the skill," Sinclair answered. "It is difficult and requires concentration. Albus has mastered the talent better than I."

"It is mostly a matter of control," Dumbledore said. "And Edgar sells himself short. He has his own talents."

"You mean like that extra wand he's got tucked away," Willow said.

Sinclair's eyes narrowed. "How did you know? You did not take it."

"It was out of your reach while the paralysis was active. And I didn't need to take it to make my point," Willow said. "So much for the one wand per wizard idea."

"I am one of the very few of our kind gifted with the ability to craft a true wand," Sinclair explained. "Which means I can not only make wands for others, I can also craft wands to fit my needs. I made many wands at a young age and practiced with all of them. Very few know of my talent, something that has surprised many over the years."

"Your granddaughter has the same talent," Willow said.

"Yes."

"That explains why her magic felt a little different occasionally," Willow nodded. "She was switching wands. Well as fascinating as all this is, you have a story to tell."

"Yes a tale," Dumbledore said. "Much of what I am about to tell you is conjecture on my part and things I have only learned in recent years. Had I known these things at the time, much pain could have been avoided."

"Hindsight's always 20-20," Kennedy said. "So what's Riddle got that the rest of you all don't?"

"The truth, Miss Winston..."

"Kennedy."

Dumbledore nodded, "The truth Kennedy and the reason we are both so circumspect in our dealings with Tom, is that we do not know. Even with all the power, knowledge and skill at his disposal, Tom should not be able to do what he has done," Dumbledore paused in thought. "I first encountered Tom when he entered Hogwarts as a student. I was only the transfiguration teacher then and did not have the access to Hogwarts that I do now. I might have been able to stop him if I had. Tom was a brilliant student. Easily the most gifted wizard of his generation and one of the most powerful to pass through Hogwarts in many years. At some point during his years at Hogwarts Tom opened what we call 'The Chamber of Secrets'," Dumbledore explained. "The Chamber was created by Salazar Slytherin."

"One of the guys who founded your enclaves," Willow said.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "He aided in the creation of the Sanctuaries. I do not know what Tom found inside the Chamber, I have only been able to examine it in the last three years. But I believe Slytherin left behind much of the knowledge of the Wizarding world and its true history. The nature and scope of our Covenant with the Crown. Along with other knowledge related to the protections around the Wizarding world. And most likely other things of which I can not even guess at."

"By protections you mean not only the spell the Crown crafted to keep outsiders from being able to see your world but also the means you use to keep your people inside," Willow said.

"You are perceptive," Sinclair said.

"Dawn's the one who noticed the pattern," Willow said. "And it's a little weird how hardly anyone ever seems to leave the Wizarding world."

"Much of that knowledge was believed lost," Dumbledore said. "One of Slytherin's final acts was destroying the library that contained the ancient scrolls used to craft the spells."

"Will let Dawn handle the history portion of the lecture," Willow said. "Let's stick to Riddle for now."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "At the time I did not know the Chamber had been opened. In hindsight, as you say, it is obvious. When Tom graduated Hogwarts, he was at the top of his class and already displaying more skill and power than wizards of twice his age and experience. He was also beginning to draw a following among the young so-called pure blood wizards. His message was much more moderate in those days. It was then that I made a grave mistake. I recognized the power Tom possessed and the potential for danger. In my overconfidence I thought to train him, to initiate him into our people's mysteries."

"And you thought this was a good idea why?" Kennedy said.

"The mysteries relate to our people's history," Dumbledore said. "The truth about the founding of Hogwarts and the creation of the Sanctuaries. I did not know that he most likely already had that knowledge. Those truths are revealed only to those Initiated at the lower levels. Along with that initiation the person is bound by various magics not to reveal their knowledge and to obey the Senior Initiates, Edgar and myself being among them. I had hoped by binding him in this manner he could be controlled. What I did not know was Slytherin must have left the means to break the bindings."

"Giving him the knowledge and no restrictions," Willow said.

"Precisely," Dumbledore replied. "As I said, Tom most likely already knew our peoples' history from what he found in the Chamber," Dumbledore sighed. "What he did not know, what he could not know, until I told him, was the location of the true Sanctuary of Mysteries and knowledge of how to enter it."

"You mean the Department of Mysteries," Lady Aydin said. "I thought that was in the Ministry of Magic's complex here in London."

"The only things of any value in that area are the prophecies. And they are of questionable worth," Sinclair said. "Everything else is there mostly for show. A distraction to fix attention and keep people from learning the truth. Security is so weak a moderately skilled child could penetrate it. I always found it humorous that no one seems to notice that fact."

"So what's at this 'real' Sanctuary of Mysteries?" Willow asked.

"Much of the legacy of our people before we were forced into hiding, from before the founding of the Sanctuaries," Dumbledore said. "Knowledge of ancient magic. The means to combine and use various types of magic. Tom took this knowledge and disappeared for many years."

"When he returned, he was calling himself Voldemort," Sinclair picked up the tale. "At first no one made the connection between the powerful new charismatic wizard named Voldemort and Tom Riddle. Many of us falsely believed Tom was long dead. When he broke his oath, the binding magic should have killed him. I was one the first to notice the danger Voldemort represented."

"But nobody noticed the power base he was building," Willow said.

"No, we did not," Sinclair said. "Even when people began to disappear, everyone was strangely quiet. And then the Death Eaters appeared. They were not called Death Eaters at first. Simply the Knights of Walpurgis. Albus and I tried to get the Ministries to listen."

"But something stopped them," Willow said. "Do you use some kind of mind control to keep your people in line?" Willow's voice carried an edge.

"Nothing so overt or dangerous," Dumbledore said. "It's difficult to explain. As I said, Slytherin destroyed much of that knowledge."

"We'll save the detailed explanations for later," Willow said. "I'm guessing Riddle found a way to use those spells."

"I believe so," Dumbledore said. "But even if he had the knowledge, he should not be able to effect people the way he has. Even Edgar and myself as full Initiates lack such power."

"Ok, that's a couple of times you've mentioned this 'Initiate' thing," Willow said. "And you both seem to know the 'true history' of your world. Some kind of secret society I guess."

"You are a demanding young woman Willow," Dumbledore said. "We are sharing a great deal of our secrets with you and you have shared few with us."

"You think Willow's demanding?" Kennedy smirked. "You'll never survive Dawn."

"Dawn?" Sinclair said.

"Head of our research department," Kennedy replied. "There's a picture of her in the dictionary next to the word tenacious. She's the one who discovered your world."

"Yes, a very intelligent young woman," Lady Aydin noted. "As for secrets, I'm certain Edgar has already told you everything he knows about MI5's operations."

"Yes, he has," Dumbledore replied. He nodded towards Willow. "But neither of us has any knowledge of your Council."

"We're just your basic little group dedicated to fighting evil," Willow said. "Mostly vampires and demons along with the occasional hell-god."

"Don't forget stopping various attempts to blow up the world and/or suck it into some random Hell dimension," Kennedy said.

"You battle demons," Dumbledore said.

"All the time," Willow said. "You ever heard of a Hellmouth."

"A place of mystical convergence that draws demons and other dark creatures," Sinclair replied.

"Wizards avoid such places," Dumbledore added. "Too great a risk of discovery."

"I lived on one my entire life," Willow said. "Kind of shame we had to blow it up in the end."

"Blow it up?" Dumbledore asked.

"We collapsed a Hellmouth," Willow said.

"Impossible," Sinclair said.

"People keep telling us that," Willow said. "And yet there is this big salt water lake where my home town use to be. Good job changing the subject by the way. Now about this 'Initiate' thing."

"You are persistent," Sinclair said.

"Kennedy's right, Dawnie is going to have a field day with you two," Willow said. "Nobody in your world knows about the Covenant or that magic exists outside the enclaves. You two do. Explain please or I might get annoyed again," Willow smiled.

Dumbledore was beginning to understand how Cornelius must feel when dealing with him. These women had controlled every aspect of the meeting and their deceptively flippant attitudes had kept both him and Edgar on the defensive. He shared another look with Sinclair. He nodded.

Sinclair started, "Since the founding of the Sanctuaries there has been a small select group that knows the truth. We call ourselves Initiates."

"Let me guess," Willow said. "You guys make sure nobody else finds out the truth."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "We also watch for threats from outside our world."

"There are two levels of Initiates," Sinclair explained. "Those at the lower levels are granted the knowledge but placed under powerful binding magic. Those lower level Initiates are positioned at key points in our world that enable them to monitor potential threats and provide us with information."

"And the high level guys like you have the restrictions removed," Kennedy said.

Sinclair nodded, "Correct."

"How many of you are there?" Willow asked.

Dumbledore smiled, "I will not reveal all of our secrets yet Willow. Our numbers are few that, is all you need to know for now. I will tell you that Alastor Moody is an Initiate of the lower levels. He tracked many dark wizards though muggle areas. It was necessary to make certain he understood all the potential dangers that existed."

"Fair enough," Willow replied. "Back to Riddle. You don't know how he does it, but do you know what he's doing?"

"You must understand, when D'Karsh led our people to these shores, we had been hunted for centuries," Dumbledore said. "Subject to attack without warning. Our numbers were few. D'Karsh's efforts to find a peaceful solution had failed. The Founders believed the only way to protect our people was to isolate ourselves from the outside world. Our agreement with the Crown hid us from those seeking to destroy us. But the danger still remained."

"Wizards still lived outside the enclaves," Lady Aydin said. "It took a couple of decades before the majority of your people moved inside."

"Yes," Sinclair said. "And so long as wizards remained outside they were vulnerable and could lead our enemies back to the Sanctuaries. So the Founders decided to craft the means to keep our people protected."

"A spell that made them want to live the enclaves," Willow said. Her eyes narrowed. "That's sick. You manipulated their minds to keep them under control. Wiped out their memories of the truth."

A sad look crossed Dumbledore's face. "We were being hunted. Mages such as you sought to annihilate our people from existence. Any risk of discovery could have meant our destruction. I no longer believe the Founders intended it to be a permanent solution, but Slytherin's final act destroyed the means to reverse the spells."

"And now Riddle has tapped those spells to make people fear him," Lady Aydin said.

"Possibly," Dumbledore said. "We can only guess as to the full nature of the spells. It is not deliberate mind control. It is more like a little voice that whispers suggestions into your ear. A subtle hint to stay away from muggles, to prefer the Sanctuaries. They were never perfect. There has always been some interaction with the muggle world. That is necessary for our survival."

"And your people stagnate," Kennedy said.

"We have stability," Dumbledore said. "Far more then exists in your world. How many wars have you fought? How much destruction has occurred over the past century alone? We are at peace. The few conflicts we have are small and end quickly."

"Until now," Willow said.

"Until now," Dumbledore acknowledged. "Tom has somehow found the power to do what we believed impossible. I've spent many years searching for the source of that power. I have not been able to find it."

"Neither of us has," Sinclair said. "The source must come from something Slytherin left behind. And as long the source of that power remains unknown simply killing Tom leaves us vulnerable to the same attack in the future. Most likely from an unknown quantity."

"Better the devil you know," Willow said.

"We have told a great deal Willow," Dumbledore said. "Far more than I originally planned. What do you intend to do with this knowledge."

"Help," Willow replied. "It's what we do. This is lot different than what we normally deal with. But it's clear we don't have much choice."

"I don't understand," Dumbledore was puzzled. "How can you not have a choice."

"I'll field that one," Kennedy jumped in. "Slayers sometimes receive visionary dreams that guide us. Several Slayers have had dreams about your world and about this Tom Riddle."

"Dreams," Dumbledore said. "Amazing. I would like to learn more of these dreams. Interpreting such signs has long been an interest of mine."

"The hour has grown quite late," Lady Aydin said. "And there still practical matters to discuss. I assume you want Sirius Black returned."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I understand Moody has been injured. Ordinarily I would prefer him to be treated at St. Mungo's, but if he were moved there, Tom would learn of his injury. I prefer that he remain ignorant of such matters. Edgar has also assured me that your medical facilities are adequate to the task. I would like to be able to visit him of course. But it is safer if he stays with you until he is recovered."

"Easily enough arranged," Lady Aydin said. "I've already alerted Major Chisholm to expect you and the Elder. You can visit the compound as soon as you leave this meeting."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said. "Edgar can remain as our liaison. And the Death Eaters will remain in your custody."

"For the foreseeable future," Lady Aydin replied. "The knowledge they possess is protected by a fidelius charm of course. We have the means to work around it but our key person for such magic requires a few days rest from his activities over the past two days. And such things take time. It will most likely be several weeks before we get any useful information from them."

"Tom will take some action in response to this perceived betrayal," Dumbledore said. "I must take steps to prepare for it."

"And your Order of the Phoenix," Lady Aydin said. "What do you plan on telling them?"

"Truthfully, I do not yet know," Dumbledore replied. "Moody can be told the full truth and Black already knows of the Crown's involvement. But the others. Revealing the existence of magic outside the Sanctuaries is dangerous. A fidelius is not powerful enough to protect such knowledge. I cannot make them all Initiates. The others would never agree."

"Have a good time sorting that out," Willow said. "We've got to get back and brief the other Scoobies."

"Scoobies?" Dumbledore asked.

"Do not ask," Lady Aydin said. "It makes little sense and frankly the longer you can avoid their insanity the better."

"Why does everybody keep saying we're insane?" Willow pouted.

"Because you are honey," Kennedy replied. "It's why I love you. And it's what makes you all so effective."

Dumbledore watched the exchange with amusement. "I have found over the years a certain amount of eccentricity to be invaluable," he said. He held out his hand, "Would you like a lemon drop Miss Rosenberg?"

"Thank you," Willow took the offered candy.

"Oh God, there's another one," Kennedy said rolling her eyes. "I should have guessed when he came in here wearing a costume reject from 'That 70s Show.'"

Sinclair shook his head. "There are still practical matters to be dealt with. Albus and I have much to do in very short time. It seems I will be joining Order despite my efforts to the contrary."

"A word of advice when dealing with your friends," Willow said. "If you trust them, tell them the truth. I've found lying and trying to hide things comes back and bites you in the ass pretty hard."

"Sound advice," Dumbledore acknowledged. "If crudely put. I shall give it serious thought. I must see to Sirius. Lady Aydin this has been a most enlightening meeting."

"Likewise Headmaster," Lady Aydin held out her hand. "I have had many such meetings over the last few months."

"Dealing with people such as this," Dumbledore took the offered hand. "I can see how that could be. Ladies it has been interesting meeting you."

"Same here," Willow said. "Don't think you're off the hook yet. Dawn will cover all the stuff you left out later."

"I look forward to meeting her," Dumbledore said. "Edgar it is time to depart."

"Lady Aydin," Sinclair said with a nod. "Ladies again an interesting meeting."

The two men left the office.


	39. Chapter Thirty Eight Reactions

Chapter Thirty Eight – Reactions

"You can't be serious!?!" Sirius Black raged. "They killed Remus! They're nothing more than murderers!"

"Calm down Sirius," Dumbledore said in a patient voice. They had returned to Order's headquarters. "Your anger is more than justified. What happened was a tragedy. But they meant no malice. Their intent was to capture known Death Eaters."

"That doesn't matter!" Sirius shouted. "How can you even think of working with them? They're muggles. What can they do?"

"The fact that they could penetrate the Order's headquarters and capture you should be proof enough that they are not ordinary muggles," Dumbledore replied. He waved his hand around the room. The pictures were subdued. Making barely any noise. Even the picture of Sirius' mother was strangely quiet. "We cannot keep them from this fight Sirius. They've already captured Malfoy, Pettigrew and three others. They are committed to eliminating Voldemort."

"They killed Remus!"

"A mistake for which they show genuine remorse," Dumbledore replied. "They are not the enemy Sirius. Voldemort is the enemy. And we need every ally we can find if we are to defeat him and protect Harry," Dumbledore deliberately invoked Black's protective instincts towards his godson.

"These people don't get near Harry," Sirius said in menacing tones.

"They don't need to get near Harry," at least not yet Dumbledore thought. "But we need their help if we are to destroy Voldemort. As I said, what happened should be proof enough they have power. Voldemort is unprepared to face that kind of power."

"You're not," Sirius said. "You and your friend Sinclair knew that muggles possessed magic. Knew they could attack us like this. You did nothing to prepare us. Your manipulative little games got Remus killed."

Dumbledore sighed, "I am truly sorry. Edgar and I let past disagreements get in the way of our duty to protect our people. Don't let the same happen to you Sirius. Think about Harry. You know the kind of power Voldemort wields. You know how badly he wants Harry dead. These people can help us stop Voldemort and protect Harry."

Sirius' face was a mask of fury. He took a slow deep breath. "You are not going to give me a choice about this are you?"

"No," Dumbledore said. "The stakes are too high."

"You keep them away from Harry," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "I'll be watching them. And you. They do one thing that threatens Harry and I will kill them all myself."

"You will control yourself Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"For now," Sirius replied. This is not over, he thought.

* * *

"So what's the big deal about the pictures not moving?" Agent Grayden asked his partner.

"I told you," Jennifer Sinclair answered. "The pictures in my world are alive in a way. They move around and talk to us."

"Which always struck me as a little creepy," Grayden said. "But the pictures weren't moving at the Black house."

"And that's wrong," Jennifer said. "I've never encountered anything that makes the pictures still. There are no spells that can do it that I've heard of."

"Why didn't we notice this when we were testing the crystals at your Grandfather's estate?" Grayden asked.

"Grandfather doesn't keep any pictures on the walls," Jennifer replied. "The only pictures in the house are kept in a few albums," Jennifer smiled. "Grandfather use to pull one out every once and awhile, sit me down and tell me stories about my father growing up, how he met my mother. Those were only times I ever saw him really smile after they were killed," she shook off the memories. "But the point is we wouldn't have noticed because there were no pictures to look at."

"And why is that? I mean everybody puts a least one picture on the wall." Grayden said.

"I learned at a very young age not to question my Grandfather's eccentricities," Jennifer answered.

"I guess we go and talk to Talerie and your Grandfather," Grayden said. "Maybe they can give us some answers."

* * *

"It seems your suspicions were correct Dawn," Giles said. "There is something behind this Riddle."

"'Something' doesn't give me a clear starting point to figure out what it is," Dawn replied. Giles noticed that their were still bags under her eyes, but she seemed far better rested then she had the previous night.

"It's pretty clear they left a lot out of their story," Willow said.

The three were Giles' office. They had spent the morning reviewing what Dumbledore and Sinclair told Willow the night before.

"You were rather forceful," Giles said. "I told you be more diplomatic."

"Diplomatic would have taken too long," Willow replied. "Now we've got the information and we have a much better idea just what these two are capable of."

Giles shook his head, "Next time at least warn people you plan on doing something like that. Sophia called this morning."

Willow winced. "Sorry," she said meekly.

* * *

"Good to see you back at the office," Eric said.

"We do have work to do," Faye said. "And I am the team leader. I need to check on my girls."

"Are you at least feeling better?" Eric asked.

"No," came the reply. "But your little 'pep' talk reminded me that I can't just walk away. Feel free to pat yourself on the back for a job well done. I'm back," she started to walk past Eric.

"Every time you think you're out they just pull you back in," Eric said.

Faye turned back. "What?"

"You know, Godfather part III," Eric replied.

"That movie sucked," Faye said.

"I didn't think it was that bad," Eric smiled back.

"That's because you have no taste," Faye said. "My god, because of some silly little dispute over money Coppola chose to replace Robert Duvall with Zorro the Gay Blade. That's all that needs to be said on that subject. And don't think pointing out your poor taste in movies is going to cheer me up. I need to check on my girls. I'll talk to you later."

Eric watched her walk down the hall shaking her head. She was still tense and angry with herself. But she was willing to insult his taste in movies. That was usually a good sign. He really didn't think Godfather part III was all that bad.


	40. Chapter Thirty Nine – Plans Within Plans

Chapter Thirty Nine – Plans Within Plans

"Master," Narcissa Malfoy kneeled before her Lord. "How may I serve? You have but to say the word and I will devote every resource at my disposal to finding my husband and delivering his head to you."

"Your enthusiasm is noted Narcissa," Voldemort replied. "But I have another task for you. A way to prove your loyalty."

"Anything My Lord."

"Even in betrayal your husband serves my needs," Voldemort said. "Yess, all the wizarding world serves my needs, whether they know it or not. Arise Narcissa, I shall tell you what you must do."

-----

Percy Weasley entered the small conference room with Minister Fudge. Over the last three days Lucius Malfoy had missed two scheduled meetings with Minister Fudge. That was odd.

Percy allowed himself a brief feeling of satisfaction. It seemed MI5 had made their first move and in the process captured Malfoy. He wondered if they had captured him with Black and if the information he had provided had been useful. The nature of his job and position meant that he most likely would not know for a very long time.

The Minister had summoned him a few minutes earlier. Something last minute and not on the schedule. Percy was surprised when he saw Narcissa Malfoy seated at the table.

"Minister Fudge thank you for seeing me on such short notice," she began.

"Think nothing of it Narcissa," Minister Fudge replied. "I am here to serve. What is it that you wished to see me about? I have not seen Lucius in three days. Is everything alright?"

Narcissa Malfoy looked around the room nervously. "That is why I wished to too see you personally Minister Fudge. You are the only person my husband really trusted. You will know what to do."

"Of course," Fudge said. "Tell me what is happening. Where is Lucius?"

"Lucius has disappeared," Narcissa said.

"Disappeared?!?" Fudged reacted with shock. "I will summon the Aurors immediately."

"No," Narcissa cut him off. "Let me explain first. This is too important."

The Minister calmed down and looked at Narcissa. "What is too important? What happened to Lucius?"

Again Narcissa looked nervously around the room. "Think about it Minister, who really benefits from my husband disappearing?"

"He is vital member of our world," Minister Fudge replied. "No one would benefit."

"There is one man who benefits," Narcissa observed. "Someone who has long opposed my husband, who has been hostile to our family. Someone who knows how much you have relied on my husband's advice in dealing with critical issues over the last few months."

Fudge paused in thought. "Dumbledore," he said.

"Why would Dumbledore do something to Lucius Malfoy?" Percy asked and then mentally kicked himself. But the idea that Dumbledore would do something so obviously foolish was laughable.

"Because he knows it would hurt me," Fudge was nodding. "He's after my job."

Which was even a more laughable idea Percy thought. But he had to play along. "Of course Minister, I wasn't thinking."

"Quite all right my boy," Fudge said. "If true, this is a far bolder move than I would have expected from Dumbledore." He looked directly at Narcissa, "Tell me everything."

"Three days ago, Lucius decided to go to Hogwarts personally to check on the progress of your reforms," Narcissa said. "Umbridge has been doing a wonderful job. But as you know, Dumbledore has been doing everything he can to obstruct her."

"Yes. Unfortunately the law prohibits me from being able to remove a sitting Headmaster," Fudge said. "But Dolores never mentioned anything to me about Lucius visiting Hogwarts."

"I don't think he ever arrived," Narcissa said. "He told me he planned on confronting Dumbledore directly. I have no proof, which is why I didn't come to you sooner, but I believe Dumbledore may have done something to him."

"Yes, that makes sense," Fudge said.

"There is more," Narcissa said. "Things my husband told me. Things he suspected."

"Tell me," Fudge said.

"Dumbledore has been saying You-Know-Who is back for several months now," Narcissa began.

"Yes, he's trying to cause a panic that will weaken the Ministry," Fudge acknowledge. "Your husband helped me to see that."

"Yes," Narcissa continued. "But Dumbledore has no proof beyond the word of the Potter boy. And everyone knows that can't be relied on. But Lucius worried that Dumbledore might go a step further. He might try to create of evidence of You-Know-Who's return."

"Create evidence?" Fudge said. "I don't understand."

"He might do things and make it look like You-Know-Who was behind them," Narcissa explained. "Like making people disappear. People might believe You-Know-Who was behind it."

Fudge nodded. "Yes, I can see that. We've done an excellent job exposing Dumbledore's lies and limiting their spread. Its obvious he is getting desperate."

Percy didn't follow the logic at all. That fudge actually believed this preposterous tale meant that he was an even bigger fool than Percy thought.

"You see now why I had to come to you Minister," Narcissa said. "Dumbledore still has friends in the Ministry," she glimpsed at Percy. "People who keep him informed about your plans against him."

"Do not worry about Percy Narcissa," Fudge said. "He is fine young lad. He knows how to follow the rules. Isn't that right my boy?"

"Yes Minister," Percy replied with a nod. "You're the only one who really understands what our people need. Dumbledore is nothing more than an old man whose time has past." Percy was going to need a long shower when he got home.

"I meant know disrespect," Narcissa said. "But I know Lucius warned you about spies in the Ministry. That is why this must handled properly."

"Yes, Dumbledore is getting bolder," Fudge said. "But without direct evidence there is little we can do. We must do everything we can to find evidence of Dumbledore's activities."

"But with his spies in the Ministry you must be careful," Narcissa said. "As painful as this is for me to say, we must keep the news of my husbands disappearance a secret. We don't want to cause the panic that Dumbledore is looking for."

"Excellent thinking," Fudge nodded. "We need to create a secret taskforce. One that reports directly to me. Perhaps Shacklebolt can be spared from the search for Black?"

"No," Narcissa said. "Shacklebolt would be too obvious. I have list of people in the Ministry my husband felt could be trusted."

"Again good thinking," Fudge said. "Show me your list."

"Here," Narcissa handed the Minister a piece of parchment that she took out of her bag.

Fudge began reviewing the list. "Yes, these are all good people. Lucius has always been a good judge of character. If Dumbledore knows what's good for him, he will be merely holding Lucius hostage. If has harmed him in any way I will personally see to it that he receives the kiss of a Dementor."

"Thank you Minister," Narcissa said looking visibly relieved. "Lucius was right. I know will do the right thing."

"We must move quickly," Fudge said. "Percy there are some people I need for you to find. We must arrange a meeting. Someplace away from the Ministry after hours. Someplace we will not be observed. We must make our plans carefully."

"Of course Minister," Percy acknowledged. "Anything you require of me."

---

It was mid-afternoon before Percy finally found a few minutes to slip away from the Minister. He had personally delivered the Minister's summons to a meeting later that night to five Ministry employees. Percy wondered if Fudge even understood the meaning of the word 'secret.' Having his personal secretary spend his morning delivering messages that could be delivered a dozen other ways just screamed that something was going on. Particularly since he had Percy ignore his other duties until the task was done.

Percy shook it off. The targeting of Dumbledore needed to be reported. But he didn't know how important it would be to MI5. There was however one person who probably should be told as soon as possible.

Percy had managed to set his schedule up is such a manner that he often delivered messages those members of the Wizengamot who were in attendance at the Ministry. He entered Elder Sinclair's small office. It was well known that the Elder liked to chat up some the younger people working at the Ministry, so it wouldn't be the least bit suspicious if Percy spent a few minutes in the Elder's office. He kept the door open.

"Percy," the Elder said looking up from his desk. "How are things with you these days?"

"Things are going quite well Elder," Percy replied. He handed the Elder the day's messages from the Minister. "Minister Fudge has been kind enough to expand my duties of late. It has kept me very busy. But I am enjoying the new challenges"

"Excellent," Sinclair replied. "It is good to know the Minister is showing trust in your talents. Is there anything of interest happening these days?"

"Just the usual demands on the Minister's time," Percy replied. "As you know the reforms at Hogwarts are proving to be more of a challenge than we expected. Dumbledore seems determined to obstruct the Ministry at every turn."

"Yes, it is shame Albus does not recognize that the world has passed him by," Sinclair said. "Well it has been good to see you again Percy."

"Thank you Elder," Percy said leaving the office. He closed the door behind him. To the couple of people who overheard parts of the conversation, it seemed innocent enough. The Elder had made it clear that regretted voting against the Minister in the Potter case, but the law was clear. The Minister had not provided sufficient evidence to convict the boy. And whatever his other eccentricities it was well known Elder Sinclair was a stickler for the law.

Once the door was closed the Elder began to go through the messages Percy left. He opened one of the envelopes. It was a typical letter about some new regulation coming out the Magical Creatures department. The letter was unimportant so Sinclair set it aside to study the envelope. He found what he was looking for fairly quickly. Stuck just inside was what to most wizards would look like nothing more that small piece of trash that had somehow gotten inside the envelope.

A muggle might recognize it for what it really was. A slightly smaller version of the memory cards they might use one of their digital camera's or portable music devices. Sinclair waved his wand at the door to make certain he was not interrupted. He reached under his robes and pulled out a small device. He inserted the card, attached an earphone, which he placed in his left ear and then turned the device on. He then proceeded to listen to the entire conversation Fudge had just shared with Narcissa Malfoy.

This was an unexpected development. Tom had become even more devious during his absence. To use the disappearance of Malfoy to increase the Minister's suspicions of Albus. A brilliant ploy. More importantly though, Narcissa had planted the seeds that Albus might do something bigger. That meant Tom might be planning something bigger and setting Albus up to take the blame.

He must warn Albus. Fudge's clumsily efforts were not a concern of course. The Elder had already noted Percy running around all morning delivering strange messages to various people that he ordinarily didn't deal with. Most likely Albus already knew something was going on. One would have to be blind not to see that Minister Fudge was doing something out of character.

No, Fudge was not a concern. The concern was what Tom may be planning. He was going to use this opportunity to do something far more public than he otherwise would be capable of. They needed to be prepared.

---

A/N – Sorry for the lengthy delay in getting back to this story. My muse has been focused on other things and I do have a life outside of writing fanfiction. One I need to at least occasionally check in on.


	41. Chapter Forty The Reality of the Matter

Chapter Forty – The Reality of the Matter

The anger in the room was palatable. Dumbledore was not surprised by that.

It had been a week since the attacks against the Order and the Death Eaters. He had done his best to rebuild the defenses around the Order's headquarters. The ease with which the Crown's mages had penetrated the house was impressive. Even with aid from Edgar's extensive collection of books and knowledge of counter-spells.

The pictures were finally starting to behave in a normal manner. Even the portrait of Sirius' mother was back to shouting at everyone who entered the house.

He had to make the other members of the Order understand that working with these Muggles was essential. At the very least he had to make certain no one attempted to obstruct either the Crown's or the still largely unknown Council's efforts against Voldemort. It was unlikely the Order could survive being caught in such a crossfire. One incident had already been far too costly.

"There are two groups of Muggles able to use magic?" Bill Weasley asked. "I still don't understand."

"As I explained," Dumbledore said. "The British government has long maintained a small group of mages whose function is to protect the citizens of the British Commonwealth from supernatural threats." It was as much of truth as Dumbledore could share with the Order without telling them about the Covenant or revealing everything about the Wizarding world's history.

"And they attacked us," Charlie Weasley said. "And you expect us to trust them now."

Dumbledore sighed inwardly. He glimpsed over at Sirius. Thus far he had followed Dumbledore's admonishments and remained silent throughout this meeting. Dumbledore knew that would not last for much longer. At least they were past the random shouting. He had finally calmed every down to the point where they were at least sort of listening.

"They were after Sirius," Dumbledore said. "From their perspective he was an escaped murderer, one who had killed thirteen people, twelve of their citizens. They had little faith in the Ministry's ability to capture him, so they acted on their own."

"But Sirius is innocent," Molly Weasley said. "They had no reason to attack us. No reason to kill Remus."

Sinclair decided to become involved. "They did not know that. I did not know that. All the available evidence pointed to Black's guilt. He was free and they believed most likely working with Voldemort again. The Crown needed him to find Voldemort."

"You helped them," Charlie said. "They couldn't have done anything without you."

"Have you not been paying attention child," Sinclair said. "They have their own magic. There are six billion people living on this world. Are you all so surprised that magic can exist outside our little world? They were going to strike anyway. My goal to was limit their strikes solely to Voldemort."

"You failed," Sirius said. "You let them kill Remus. And now you expect us to work with these killers."

"If I had known, I would have stopped them," Sinclair replied in an even tone. "I did not learn the truth until after I discovered Pettigrew was among the captured Death Eaters from the Council's attack. A feat they accomplished entirely without my aid."

That made everyone in the room pause. Muggles had captured five Death Eaters in a single strike. It had taken squads of Aurors to accomplish similar feats during the war. This was entirely new ground for most of the assembled Wizards. They were not use to thinking of Muggles as threats.

"Muggles can't have magic," Arthur Weasley said. "We would have known. I've never seen any evidence of Muggle magic."

"They keep themselves as well hidden from the rest of Muggle world as we do," Dumbledore replied.

"That doesn't matter," Sirius said. "We can't work with them. They are nothing more than killers."

"They acted to protect themselves from a threat," Dumbledore replied. "They, like all of you, know the Ministry is incapable of dealing with Voldemort. Their actions were logical."

"What's 'logical' about murdering Remus," Sirius said. "These people cannot be trusted."

Dumbledore observed the nods around the room.

"Then we will keep the Crown out of this battle," Sinclair said.

Dumbledore turned towards his friend. What was Edgar planning?

"What are you talking about?" Sirius said.

"It was the Crown's forces that attacked the Order," Sinclair said. "The Council had only limited involvement. I can persuade the Crown to pull back if they can be convinced that we can deal with Voldemort."

"We can handle Voldemort," Sirius replied.

"As effectively as we handled him last time?" Sinclair replied. "Our 'effectiveness' is the reason they are so quick to intervene now. No, the only way I can keep the Crown out is if we work with the Council."

"No," Sirius said.

"The Council was not directly involved in the attack on the Order," it was a lie, but Sinclair needed to bring this argument to a close. "And they did capture five Death Eaters. The Crown is confident in their ability to deal with a threat like Voldemort."

"But how?" Arthur asked. "They can't possibly have experience dealing with someone as powerful as You-Know-Who."

"I have seen them in action," Sinclair answered. "And it should be obvious from what they have already accomplished that they are quite capable of dealing with Voldemort's Death Eaters. There are threats elsewhere in the world as great if not greater Voldemort. They have spent centuries confronting such threats."

"We have only your word on that," Sirius said.

"And mine," Dumbledore said. "I have already met with the Council and seen a demonstration their power. They will make very powerful allies."

"We don't need them," Sirius insisted.

"Yes we do," Dumbledore said. "They are already committed to eliminating the threat from Voldemort. We can not keep them from this battle and trying to stop them is not an option."

Arthur looked at Sinclair. "You can keep the ones who killed Remus out of this?"

"Only if they can be convinced that the threat from Voldemort can be dealt with," Sinclair answered.

"I said, we can deal with Voldemort," Sirius said. "They have no reason to get involved."

"They will not stand by and allow innocent Muggles to be murdered by Death Eaters. Not again," Sinclair replied. "And from their perspective our past performance is not a comfort. Working with an organization as powerful as the Council will alleviate those concerns. Consider what I said. There are six billion people out there. Do any of you think they will allow what happened thirteen years ago to occur again. If we do not deal with Voldemort, they will deal with us."

Again a pause came to room. Six billion Muggles. And they knew about the Wizarding world. Some even had their own magic. They had proven they could penetrate the defenses of their world and kill or capture Wizards. The concept was totally alien to them. They had always considered the Wizarding world separate from the Muggles. The lone beacon of magic in the world. Now, everything they had spent a lifetime knowing to be true was turned on its head.

Worse, they always thought they had to protect the Muggles, that Muggles were not a threat the Wizarding world. Now they knew the Muggles could defend themselves. That the only reason they had not done so in the past was because they relied on the Wizarding world to deal with its own threats. If they failed to deal with Voldemort. If Muggles started dying. Six billion people.

-----

"That was not how I intended for that meeting to proceed Edgar," Dumbledore was speaking privately with Sinclair.

"Fear can be a powerful motivator Albus," Sinclair replied. "They agreed to meet with theCouncil."

"You have no intention of keeping the Crown from this battle," Dumbledore observed.

"Of course not," Sinclair acknowledged. "Sophia would never accept that. But they don't have to work directly with the Order to be effective. So long as the Council works with us and Sophia is kept apprised of our activities I can effectively coordinate their actions with ours."

"You're playing a delicate game Edgar," Dumbledore said.

"No more delicate then we have been playing since we learned the truth of our world," Sinclair countered. "Besides I spoke the truth. The Muggles will no longer sit by and allow Wizards to kill them with impunity. No matter the outcome of this battle Albus, our world will never be the same."

"I am aware of that," Dumbledore said. "I had hoped we would have more control over the situation. We are not ready yet."

"That choice has been taken away from us Albus," Sinclair said. "I told you many years ago this day would come. The day when the Muggles stopped ignoring us. Our lack of preparation means what happens next will occur on their terms instead of ours."


	42. Chapter Forty One – An Uncomfortable Mee...

Chapter Forty One – An Uncomfortable Meeting

"So you expect us to lie to cover for your screw up," Willow said.

"Willow," Sinclair said. "The Order refused to work with anyone involved in the death of Remus Lupin."

"I understand that," Willow said. "But the only way we are going to build any trust with them is if we're honest. Lying about our involvement in the raid is not being honest."

"We have little time for factional fighting amongst ourselves," Sinclair countered. "Tom is planning something. Most likely something large and he will attempt to blame Albus for it. Minister Fudge is nearly done setting up his 'secret' taskforce to monitor Albus. Once that is complete Tom will almost certainly make his move."

"Right, so rather get than get things out in the open now and deal them, you decided to put it off until it comes up in the middle of a crisis and cripples us," Dawn said. "For a devious old man, you have some remarkably huge blind spots."

Sinclair bristled. He was not use to being challenged in such a manner.

"As I understand it was the SAS that killed Remus," Sinclair said. "Your people were elsewhere."

"But we were there," Eric said. "I don't see the purpose of lying about …"

"We'll do it," Faye cut in. "When's the meeting?"

"Tonight," Sinclair answered. "At the Black house. Albus is limiting the number of the Order members who will be in attendance."

"We'll be there," Faye said.

"Excellent," Sinclair replied. "I must return to the Ministry. I will have Sophia send you the full details"

After Sinclair left Dawn turned to Faye.

"What the hell are you thinking agreeing to that plan?" she demanded.

"I'm not agreeing to the plan," Faye said. "I lied to the old man to end an argument. Giving him a taste of his own medicine. When we get there tonight, we tell the Order the truth. Then we see what happens."

"Oh yea, this relationship is getting off to a great start," Dawn observed.

----

"I really don't like this," Dawn said. Willow, Dawn, Kennedy, Eric and Faye were driving to the Black residence.

"Just keep on your guard," Willow said. "These people are probably going to be very hostile, unfortunately with good reason and I'm not certain just how much control Dumbledore and Sinclair have over the situation."

"How many people are we going to be dealing with?" Kennedy asked.

"Four not counting Dumbledore and Sinclair," Dawn answered. "An Arthur Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape and Sirius Black."

"Can we be certain that's all that will be there?" Kennedy said.

"I assigned four Slayers to monitor the house from the place the SAS secured," Faye answered. "They haven't seen anyone exit or leave the enclave. Given the alternate means of travel available to Wizards that doesn't mean very much. If anything bad goes down, they can back us up. They have one of MI5's warding crystals and Michael's with them so they can cut the enclave off if they need to."

"Like I said," Dawn noted. "This is relationship is getting off to a wonderful start."

----

"The Muggles will be here soon," Arthur Weasley said.

"How can they even find this place if you haven't included them in the Fidelius?" McGonagall asked.

"They learned the location of the house through independent investigation," Dumbledore answered. "They still do not know it is our headquarters. The knowledge protected by the Fidelius is still secure."

"And that's supposed to make us feel better," Snape said. "Muggles found this place and are coming here. I can't believe we agreed to this foolish exercise. They cannot possibly have the power to deal with the Dark Lord."

"Do not be fooled by appearance Severus," Sinclair replied. "Or by past prejudice. They may be Muggles but their knowledge of magic is at least as extensive as my own."

Snape snorted at the comment. Muggles whose knowledge could rival an Elder's, preposterous.

McGonagall was a little more open to the idea that these Muggles could be skilled. But she also thought it far-fetched that they could be of any significant aid against a Wizard as powerful as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Arthur Weasley was a little excited by this meeting. A chance to meet and talk with real Muggles. Even in his job he got very little opportunity to deal directly with Muggles.

Sirius just stood off to the side. His face was a mask. Dumbledore knew he was still angry. He hoped he wouldn't try anything foolish during the meeting. He should be easy to control since he still lacked a wand.

----

"We're here," Eric announced, pulling the SUV up the curb. "Still weird that we can't see the place."

"I still can't sense the enclave," Willow said. "What about you guys."

Faye and Kennedy paused for second and reached out with their senses.

"I can feel it," Faye said.

"So can I," Kennedy nodded.

"Goddess that's annoying," Willow said. "I really need to spend more time with Sophia studying the spell her family used to create the enclaves. It is a piece of beauty."

"Admiration later," Dawn said. "Uncomfortable meeting now."

The five got out of the truck and walked into the enclave.

Willow took a breath.

"You ok honey?" Kennedy asked.

"Faye you weren't kidding about this place radiating magic," Willow said. "I've never felt so much raw magic flowing off anything before. If it weren't for the barrier I would have picked this place up a mile away. These people know nothing about proper shielding."

"Remember they can't sense magic the way you can," Dawn said. "They don't realize they radiate so much."

Willow shook her head. "Its still sloppy," she cocked her head at the house. "Only six people inside that I can pick up. All in the same room on the first floor. Hard to be certain though. There's a lot of interference from all the magic bouncing around."

"Can you still communicate with the Slayers outside?" Faye asked.

Willow nodded. "Yep. Anything happens and I can call for help."

The group walked up to the repaired door. Dawn knocked. Dumbledore opened the door and smiled at the group.

"Come in," he said.

As soon as they entered the foyer the shouting started.

"FILTHY MUGGLES IN MY HOME!!!!! GET THEM OUT!!! DIRTY MUDBLOODS!!!!"

Kennedy and Faye immediately dropped into defensive stances.

"Do not mind," Dumbledore said. "It is merely one of the pictures."

"FILTH GET OUT!!!!"

"That one," Willow said pointing to the portrait of Mrs. Black.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded.

"UGLY MUDBLOODS!!!!!"

"Can't you shut it up?" Dawn asked.

"The picture is secured to wall with magic," Dumbledore explained.

"And you don't have any other way to quiet it?" Eric said.

"There is no way to silence the picture," said a greasy haired man who walked out the living room. "You simply have to put up with it as the rest of us do."

"FILTHY FILTHY FILTHY!!!!"

"I don't think so," Willow said. She made a small motion with her hand. The noise stopped.

Snape's head whipped around to the picture. He could see Mrs. Black still shouting but he couldn't hear anything.

"What did you do?" he demanded. "There are no spells that can effect a picture like that."

"I didn't do anything to the picture," Willow said. "I put a vacuum in front of it. Sound can't travel through a vacuum."

"Where is your wand young lady," Snape asked.

"Don't have one," Willow answered. "Up until a couple of months ago I never met anybody who needed one."

"Impossible."

"Not impossible, just different," Dawn said then looked at Dumbledore. "Shall we get started?"

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "Severus go back into the living room with the others. It is time for introductions."

Dumbledore led the group into the living.

"If I may," Dumbledore said. "The man you just met is Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts. This Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher, Arthur Weasley, he works in the Ministry and Sirius Black."

Willow nodded at each person. "My name is Willow Rosenberg. This is Dawn Summers, she heads the Councils Research arm and was responsible for finding your world. Eric Travers, Field Watcher. And last we have Kennedy Winston and Faye Haughton, both Slayers."

"The killers in the group," Sirius said.

Faye's face hardened.

"The proper term is vampire or demon Slayer," Kennedy said.

"You children fight vampires," Snape said.

"Enough of this," Dumbledore said. "Sirius, Severus, you will both be civil. We are here to find a way to defeat Voldemort."

"These children," Snape said. "Fight He-Who-Must-Be-Named."

"I must agree Headmaster," McGonagall said. "I don't see how people so young could have the necessary experience to deal with You-Know-Who."

"We are standing right here," Dawn said. "If you're going to insult us you might at least wait until after we leave."

"You're Muggles," Arthur said. "Explain to us how you can deal with You-Know-Who."

"Who?" Kennedy asked.

"He-Who-Must-Be-Named," Arthur said.

"I know a lot of people who shouldn't be named," Kennedy replied. "That doesn't help me any."

"The Dark Lord," Arthur whispered.

"Which one?" Kennedy asked.

"What do you mean 'which one?'" Snape demanded. "There is only one Dark Lord."

"Actually that's not true," Willow said. "Ever since the Star Wars movies came out, half the wannabe big bads started calling themselves 'dark lord.' How many have we bumped into this year Dawn?"

"Counting that demon cult in Japan where all the members called themselves 'dark lord?'" Dawn asked.

"Count that as one."

"Six," Dawn said. "It really is a pretty popular title for various evil entities. Although its use has dropped slightly since Lucas sued that demon clan idiotic enough to tack 'of the Sith' onto the title."

"What are you prattling about?" Snape said. "There is only one Dark Lord."

"And who would that be again?" Kennedy said.

"You-Know-Who," Snape replied.

"My god," Kennedy said. "I though the reports were exaggerating. You people really can't say the name Voldemort."

The wizards winced.

"You have no concept of how powerful You-Know-Who is," Snape said. "He's killed hundreds of people."

"Hitler killed millions," Kennedy shot back. "So did Pol Pot and Stalin. I can say those names."

"You can't understand," McGonagall said.

"Enough," Dumbledore said. "They are here to help. Sit down and listen to what they have to say before passing judgment."

"I'm not certain there's anything we can do to help them," Kennedy said.

"Kennedy," Willow warned.

"I mean it Willow," Kennedy said. "Look at them. They're scared of a name. They've already lost. They're just waiting around to die."

"They are among the finest people in our world," Dumbledore said.

"No wonder you got you're asses kicked last time," Kennedy replied.

"What can a child such as you understand of battle?" Snape said.

"My sisters and I stood at the mouth hell a faced down an army of Turok-Han," Kennedy replied. She let the Slayer come to the fore. "I've been fighting demons for five years. I've lost friends. I know what war means. I know enough not to be scared by a name."

Snape started backing up. He had never felt such a presence. He drew his wand.

"What are you?" he demanded, there was fear in his voice.

"I'm a Slayer," Kennedy replied in an even tone. "We exist to hunt down and destroy evil. Right now we're going after your friend Voldemort and lord help anyone stupid enough to get in our way."


	43. Chapter Forty Two – Painful Truths

Chapter Forty Two – Painful Truths

"Kennedy," Willow placed her hand on her girlfriends arm. "Take it down a notch. We're here to help."

Kennedy took a breath and pulled the Slayer back. "Sorry," she said. "But you have to admit, the whole not being able to say a name thing is pretty pathetic."

"Severus," Dumbledore said. "Put your wand away. I'm certain Ms Winston means no harm."

Snape nodded in the Headmaster's direction, his eyes never leaving Kennedy. He slowly put his wand back in his robe and sat down on the couch. He continued to study Kennedy very carefully.

"If you will all take a seat," Dumbledore said. "We can start discussing how best to deal with Voldemort."

The Council group sat down opposite the wizards. Dumbledore and Sinclair positioned themselves a little away from both groups. Trying to play the role of neutral peacemakers, Willow thought.

"There is something we need to deal with first," Faye said.

"Are you sure now is the best time?" Eric said.

"We need to get this out now," Faye said. "Dawn's right, the longer we put this off the harder it will be."

"What do you need to tell us?" McGonagall asked.

"Oscar and Felix over there didn't want us to tell you this," Faye said. "But I prefer to be honest in this situation."

"Ms Haughton …" Dumbledore started anticipating what she was going to say.

"Just Faye," Faye replied.

"You agreed," Sinclair said.

"We lied," Willow replied. "Just like you lied to Sophia about the existence of the Order of the Phoenix." She nodded towards Dumbledore, "and you lied to them," she pointed at the Order members, "about the magic outside your enclaves. Your little manipulation games and need to control everything is the reason Lupin is dead. The games end now."

"I would prefer to discuss this privately Willow," Dumbledore said.

"No," came the reply. "We do this now. I don't work for you and I haven't decided whether or not I even like you yet. We're going to tell your friends the truth. Or I'm going to get annoyed again."

Dumbledore and Sinclair shared a quick look. They both nodded. "Very well."

"What is it?" Snape asked.

"Eric and I were involved in the attack on this house," Faye said. "Eric was outside with the support team when the attack began. I was the first one through the door. I took the upstairs. I captured Moody."

"You helped kill Remus," Sirius said through clenched teeth.

"Yes," Faye answered in a quiet tone. "I didn't know. I should have. I'm sorry."

"Not good enough," Sirius answered. He got up from his chair and began advancing on Faye.

"Sirius," Dumbledore rose from his chair his wand out. "Sit down."

"She killed Remus," Sirius said. "You expect me to sit down. I want these murderers out of my house."

Faye stood up to meet Black.

"Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"Stay out of this," Sirius replied. He stood in front Faye. He towered above her. "You killed my friend."

"I'm sorry," she replied.

Dumbledore raised his wand. Willow looked over at him. "Faye can take care of herself," she said.

Dumbledore looked at her and nodded lowering his wand and then focused his attention on Sirius. "Sirius if you are going blame anyone for what happened. Blame me. They acted on the best information they had."

"She killed Remus," Sirius said. He swung his fist and then stumbled forward as all he met was empty air. He spun around to see Faye standing five feet away from him. "How?" He didn't see her move and didn't remember hearing the sound of apparating.

The other wizards reached for their wands and stopped.

"Looking for these," Willow said holding up three wands. "We're not here for a fight. We told you because we're trying to be honest with you. We want to help. Tom Riddle is a killer. He's murdered hundreds of people as you say. He has to be stopped. Working together we can do that."

"I don't work with killers," Sirius said. He lunged forward to try and tackle Faye. She simply sidestepped him and caught his arm as he came forward. A fraction of second later he found himself lying face down on the floor. His arm was pulled up behind his back and Faye's foot was planted firmly on his back pinning him to ground.

"I'm sorry about your friend," she said. "If I could take back what happened I would." She released his arm and stepped back. "I don't want a fight."

Sirius pulled himself off the ground and looked like he was preparing to make another lunge at Faye.

"Sirius!" Sinclair snapped. "Sit down. Albus is right. If you are going to blame anyone for what happened. Blame us. They did not know. Besides it should be obvious that you cannot hurt the woman."

"If I had my wand …" Sirius said.

"It would be in Willow's possession," Dumbledore said.

Sirius looked over at Willow and was shocked to see her holding three wands. She looked at him. She then opened her hand and the three wands flew back to their respective owners.

"How did you do that?" McGonagall demanded.

"Magic," Willow replied. "I would have thought that was obvious."

"You don't have a wand," Weasley said. "I didn't hear you speak any spell. How can you do magic without a wand?"

"Like I told your friend earlier," Willow replied. "I've never needed one and up until I met Sinclair's granddaughter I never met anyone who did need one."

"Impossible," McGonagall said.

"Merely different," Snape said. "Your magic does not work precisely the same as ours, does it Ms Rosenberg?"

"No it does not," Willow replied. "We don't have time to go into all the technical details. But it's enough to know that I and the others I work with, don't need wands to perform our spells."

Snape nodded digesting that piece of information. "Black. Sinclair is right. These people are victims of other peoples' secrets. Sit down. Let's hear them out."

Sirius looked around the room. Dumbledore was still standing, as was Faye. The other members of the Order were seated and nodded at Snape's comment. He gave a quick nod and returned to his chair. "I'll listen," he said. "But I still don't trust these people."

"Ms Rosenberg," Snape said. "We are ready to listen to what you have to say."

-----

Very late that night Severus Snape was sitting in his office back at Hogwarts. He heard a knock on his door.

"Enter," he said.

Minerva McGonagall entered the office.

"Severus," she said. "I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Of course," Snape replied. "Sit down."

McGonagall took a seat. "You were remarkably civil to the Council's representatives following the incident with Black. That is out of character for you. I want to understand why."

"Our world is about to change Minerva," Snape said.

"What do you mean Severus?" McGonagall asked.

"You may be a Gryffindor," Snape said. "But don't be dense Minerva. Do you think these Muggles will go away once … once Voldemort has been dealt with?"

"They have no reason to stay," McGonagall replied.

"We failed in our duty Minerva," Snape said. "The Dark Lord killed dozens if not hundreds of Muggles. Sinclair is right. They will never allow that to happen again. And they have no reason to believe we can stop it from happening again."

"You think they will try and take over," McGonagall said.

"Doubtful," Snape replied. "But they are going to demand far more access to our world. They will be much more quick to strike at any perceived threat."

"But Dumbledore would never allow such a thing to occur," McGonagall countered.

"You've known Dumbledore far longer than I have," Snape said.

"Yes."

"How did he treat Ms Rosenberg and her friends?" Snape asked.

"He treated them with respect," McGonagall answered.

"You're being dense again Minerva," Snape said. "He treated them as equals. In all the years we have known him, has he ever treated us as true equals? Colleagues, yes. Friends, occasionally. But never as equals."

McGonagall nodded. "No, he's never treated us as true equals," she acknowledged.

"And yet he treated Rosenberg as an equal," Snape observed. "Even deferred to her opinion in how to deal with Black. Tell me Minerva, in all the years you have known Dumbledore, how many people have you seen him treat as an equal."

"I could count them on one hand," she replied.

"Sinclair was the same way," Severus noted. "They both know what's coming. Sinclair is right. There are six billion Muggles out there. And they are not happy with the Wizarding world. We either work with them or they will destroy us."

"It can't be that bad," McGonagall was shocked at what Snape was saying.

"I don't yet know if it is bad or not," Snape replied. "But one thing is clear. We can no longer think of ourselves as separate from the rest of the world,' he paused. "Voldemort has forced us to wake up to the world."

"You speak You-Know-Who's name," McGonagall observed.

"Ms Winston is right," Snape replied. "It is 'pathetic,' as she said, that we are scared of his name. The man is to be feared. But allowing ourselves to be paralyzed by his name," Snape rubbed his arm where the Dark Mark was hidden by his sleeve. "I've allowed Voldemort to take too much from me already. She is right, I will not allow him to control my fear. I owe her a debt for making me see that."


	44. Chapter Forty Three – Scenes From Novemb...

Chapter Forty Three – Scenes from November

His last memory was of pain. The girl. Only it couldn't have been a girl. Nothing human could move so fast. The fog slowly began to lift from his mind. It was a trap. The house was a trap. That was the only explanation for what happened. He'd been lured into a trap and captured.

He opened his eyes. He was in a room. The walls were brightly colored. Something seemed very off. His bed. The railings were made of metal. There were tubes attached to his arms. They were connected to some kind of bag suspended over his bed filled with liquid. There was strange device next to bed making a strange noise. The picture on its face was of some moving lines.

Where was he?

His right arm was in a cast. He could not feel his legs.

The door to the room opened and woman entered. She was garbed in white like a nurse at St. Mungo's only her uniform was wrong.

"You're awake," she said. She leaned back out the door. "Doctor. He's awake."

The woman entered the room followed a few seconds later by a man wearing a long white coat.

"Mr. Malone," he said. "You're awake." The man walked up the bed and shined a light into his eyes. "Tell me Mr. Malone what is the last thing you remember?"

"Get away from me," he shook his head. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Abernathy," the man replied. "Mr. Malone, do you remember the accident?"

"What accident?" he snapped. "I'm Lucius Malfoy. What are you babbling about?"

"Mr. Malone, you were in a rather severe car accident last week," the Dr. said. "You were badly injured and received a severe concussion. You have been unconscious for nearly seven days."

"Where am I?" Malfoy began to feel the first touch of panic.

"St. Ann's General Hospital in London," Dr. Abernathy replied. "You were brought here after the accident. Mr. Malone what is the last thing you remember?"

"My name isn't Malone!!" Malfoy shouted. "I am Lucius Malfoy. I demand to see your superior. I demand to see Minister Fudge."

"Minster Fudge?" the nurse looked confused. "Whose Minster Fudge? What Ministry would put a man with the name of Fudge in charge?"

"Nurse," the Doctor said in a concerned voice. "Get Mr. Malone's things," he turned his attention back to Malfoy. "I know you are going to have a hard time hearing this Mr. Malone. But you appear to be experiencing a trauma-induced form of amnesia. Your name is Louis Malone. You are a resident of Becon Wales. You write children's books."

Malfoy was utterly confused. Who were these people?

---

"Are you sure this is the best approach with him Agent Cromwell?" Major Chisholm asked. The two were in watching Malfoy on a monitor in a separate room.

"Straight questioning won't work against someone protected by a Fidelius Charm," Cromwell answered. "Psych profile indicates that Malfoy defines himself by his position. Destroy that sense of position, that sense of self and he'll be easy to control. It will also make the Fidelius easier to work around. We do this right and he'll take it down for us."

"Your call Jerry," Chisholm said. "You didn't try this approach with Black."

"Black has a strong sense of self," Cromwell replied. "This kind of trick wouldn't have worked on him. I had a different strategy in mind."

"What about the others?"

"Low level flunkies," Cromwell said. "Unlikely they'll know anything critical. We'll use them to get a baseline reading on the types of information protected by the Fidelius. This guy is the key. It's going to take a little time. But he'll tell us every secret in his head, just to prove he still knows who he is."

----

"Sir Ian."

Director Buford turned at the sound of the voice behind him. "Ah, Harry, good see you again," He said.

"We don't see you in Thames House that often," Harry said. "What's brings you down here?"

"I just need to review some budgetary matters with the Minister," Sir Ian replied. For once he was actually looking forward to dealing with the budget. It would be a welcome respite from the Riddle matter.

He was angered about the mistake with Black. In the back of his mind he knew he had made the correct call based on the intelligence available to him at the time. Yes in hindsight it could seen as obvious that Dumbledore was running his own group or that perhaps the case against Black wasn't as straight forward as it seemed. But that was the problem with the intelligence game. You always made calls based on limited and often incorrect information.

There were days when he wished it worked the way it did in the movies. Where information could be obtained so easily. A phone tap, long range mikes, targets foolish enough to make it simple to learn their secrets. No, the real world wasn't like a movie. You didn't look at a single blurry satellite photo and instantly know where the enemy base was.

Twenty five years going toe to toe with the KGB taught him that against a determined opponent you would be lucky to learn half the story. That you often had to make a move based on the information in front of you, not the information you would like to have.

Of course, that truth didn't make living with the consequences of a mistake any easier.

Allies feeding you false information didn't help. Sir Ian needed to find ways to lessen MI5's dependence Elder Sinclair.

Harry interrupted his thoughts. "So tell me Ian. What is it you do in Special Projects? It does seem a bit strange that your 'retirement' posting has lasted for over fifteen years."

"We do the work of her Majesty's intelligence service," Sir Ian answered. "How are things in the Counter-terrorism unit?"

"About the same," Harry replied.

"If you will excuse me I must get to my meeting."

"Of course Sir Ian," Harry replied.

---

"Gray it's good to hear from you," Dawn spoke into the phone.

"And you as well Dawn," came the reply.

"How you found anything yet?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing specific yet," Sir John answered. "But I have few suppositions I'd like to share with you. And I would like to discuss with you another potential route for learning more. Would you be available to come by Oakwood in the near future."

"I'll make the time," Dawn replied.

"Excellent," Sir John said. "Just contact Linton with the details."

"I will," Dawn said. "Goodbye Sir John."

"Goodbye Dawn."

Dawn hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair.

The Key. She needed answers. But she wasn't certain she wanted them. What if her purpose included giving up being Dawn Summers? It had taken a long time, but she had finally found a place for herself. She knew who she was and what she wanted to be.

Buffy was planning a trip to the Passau for the following week. Dawn could probably convince her to spend a couple of extra days in England. She needed her sister around when she talked with Gray. It taken a long time after Sunnydale went bye-bye and a year of living together in Rome but Dawn and Buffy had finally re-connected.

It wasn't the same bond they had before died. But in some ways it was stronger. Dawn had become the only person, outside of Spike and Faith, that Buffy had really talked to about Heaven and what she had lost. She never had been able to talk about it with Willow and Xander. They were the ones who had pulled her out of heaven. Had taken the peace away from her.

A very small part of Dawn would probably never fully forgive them for what they had done to her sister. That same part would never forgive herself for how she treated Buffy after she came back. Her own selfish refusal to see the obvious pain her sister was in. But Buffy had been able to forgive her. And they had rebuilt their shattered relationship.

They were sisters.

Dawn didn't want to give that up. She didn't want to do that to Buffy. To any of the Scoobies. Being part of the 'Destiny Club' sucked.

----

"My Lord," the young man knelt before the Dark Lord. "You wished to see me."

"Yessss," Voldemort stepped out of the shadows to stand a few feet away from his follower. "I have an important task for you. One for which you are ideally suited."

"Yes My Lord," the man was pleased. Voldemort had picked him personally. When he succeeded he was certain he would be rewarded.

"Tell me Pritchard," Voldemort asked. "You were recruited over the summer, after my return, were you not?"

"Yes My Lord," came the reply. "I was inducted me into your service over the summer. The day you granted me the Dark Mark was greatest day of my life." Pritchard was starting to feel a little nervous. Rumors of betrayal within the Death Eater's ranks left many of his colleagues uncertain. But not Pritchard. He knew he was loyal. He pulled himself together. "What is it you require of me Master?"

"Youth," Voldemort began. "Always so eager. I have a simple task for you. You are well known. Well respected. You have also spoken out against Dumbledore's policies."

"As you have directed My Lord," Pritchard answered.

"And you were recruited by a Pucey," Voldemort said.

"I would never betray you My Lord," Pritchard nerves began to act up again. He stayed glued to the floor, kneeling in supplication to his Lord. "Ask anything of me My Lord. I will prove my loyalty."

"Your task is simple," Voldemort replied. "And you are perfect for it. It will take no effort on your part at all."

"Tell me what you need Master," Pritchard said. He heard a sound behind him. Footsteps. The heavy footsteps of a very large man. Then he heard a grunting noise. Danger. He rose from the floor and spun around to face the source of the grunt. He froze. Standing there was a creature out of his nightmares. It was tall, close to seven feet. It's skin was brown there were horns sticking out of its head. The monster seemed to smile at him.

"I need you to die," Voldemort said.

The monster charged at Pritchard. He stayed frozen to the spot, his mind unable to comprehend what was happening. He didn't have time to think. He didn't even try to reach for his wand. It was over in seconds.

"Pathetic," Voldemort said. "Not even a fight." Voldemort knelt over the body. He pulled back the sleeve where the Dark Mark was hidden. He tapped his wand over the Mark and spoke a few words in a language not heard in millennia. The Dark Mark disappeared. He rose to his full height and looked at the demon his ally had sent him. "Place the body where I told you."

The demon acknowledged the order in its own guttural language.

"Go now," Voldemort instructed. He watched the demon easily lift the broken body and carry it out of the room. Yes it was good to purge the ranks. Remove the allies of the ones who had already betrayed him. And their deaths would serve a purpose.

His old mentor would soon have nowhere to call home and no allies to support him. Voldemort smiled.


	45. Chapter Forty Four – Choices We Make

Chapter Forty Four – Choices We Make

"Are you okay Dawn," Buffy asked.

"Peachy-keen," Dawn answered. She kept her attention focused on the road.

"And that's why you haven't said five words to me since the drive started," Buffy noted. "Dawnie, it's alright. Tell me what's bothering you."

Dawn paused trying to figure out what to say. "I guess I've spent so long trying not to think about any of this that I just assumed I would never have to. I mean after Glory the Key thing never came up again."

Buffy nodded head, "I guess we all just kind of went into denial. Besides you were such an effective obnoxious teenager we all forgot you were the Key."

"I was not obnoxious," Dawn retorted.

Buffy shot her sister a look. "Really. And how would you describe your behavior?"

"Moderately rebellious."

"You're kidding."

"Given everything that went down, I think I behaved quite well," Dawn said.

Buffy shook her head. "Then what's really bothering you."

"I don't like thinking about what it means about everything that happened before Glory," Dawn said. "I don't like being reminded that none of it was real. I don't know how much of me is me and how much is something the Monks programmed into me."

"You're you Dawn," Buffy said forcefully. "Even if what happened before didn't really happen. Everything you've done since then has been your choice. All the things you've accomplished have been your accomplishments. You've built your own life Dawn."

"And what if I have to give that up?" Dawn said in almost a whisper.

"I won't let that happen," Buffy said.

"Destiny doesn't always give us choices Buffy," Dawn replied. "You know that better than anyone."

"Then destiny can screw itself," Buffy said.

"What if I wasn't meant to always be Dawn Summers," Dawn said. "The Monks sent me to you for protection from Glory. We took care of Glory. Mission accomplished. Now its off to something else."

"I don't believe that," Buffy said.

"And what makes you say that?" Dawn asked.

"Because I won't accept anything else," Buffy replied. "We need you. Not the Key. You. It wasn't the Key that helped rebuild the Watchers Council. It was Dawn Summers. It wasn't the Key that took control of Guardian Research. It was you. I won't let anything take away what you've built."

Dawn looked over at Buffy and smiled. She could see the Slayer coming to the fore. But it was more than that. It was her sister. If destiny had plans for the Key then destiny was in for a serious fight.

---

"Ms Summers, Ms Summers," Linton greeted the two at the door of Oakwood estate. "Sir John is waiting in the library. If you will accompany me."

"Thank you Linton," Dawn said. She and Buffy followed Linton to library where they were greeted by Sir John Graham.

Sir John rose from his chair and nodded at the sisters. "Buffy, Dawn, it is good to see you both again. Please have a seat. Linton has prepared some tea and snacks. Would you like anything else?"

"Thank you Gray," Dawn said. "Tea will be fine for me."

"Just water for me," Buffy said. "Despite Giles' best efforts I've never been able to develop a taste for tea."

Sir John smiled at the comment. "Linton, could you bring a pitcher of water for Buffy and then see that we are not disturbed."

"Of course sir," Linton responded in his usual professional manner. "I shall return momentarily."

"Thank you Linton," Sir John said and then turned his attention back the Summers sisters. "Ladies, if you will take a seat we can get started."

Buffy and Dawn sat in chairs opposite Sir John.

"You said you had some suppositions to share about the Key," Dawn started.

"Yes," Sir John replied. "Researching the Key has proven to be far more difficult than I thought possible. It seems the Order of Dagon was even more circumspect than other such esoteric groups. It does not help that Glorificus seems to have destroyed most the groups that had even limited dealings with them."

"Just how much damage did she do?" Buffy asked. "We know she was active for about five or six years before she appeared in Sunnydale."

"That is correct," Sir John said. "It was known that a powerful demonic entity was searching for a lost talisman. Some even knew she sought for something called the Key. The difficulty is that she killed anyone or anything that that she came across or was foolish enough to get in her way. I believe that is how she first encountered the Knights of Byzantium."

"What do you mean?" Dawn said. "I always assumed she targeted the Order from the beginning."

"This is where I am forced to make suppositions," Sir John said. "I believe, based on very limited information I was able to obtain, which I will make available to you, that the Knights of Byzantium had an agreement with the Order of Dagon to serve as a last line of defense. When Glorificus began to search for the Key the Knights learned of her quest and attacked. They may have inadvertently led her to the Order."

"How?" Buffy asked.

"I have not been able to find any reference indicating that Order of Dagon possessed the Key," Sir John answered. "The last reference I could find linked to the Key is dated in the first century BC. As to Knights, by attacking Glorificus they revealed themselves to have knowledge of Key. Glorificus shifted her attention from random attacks that had little chance of finding the Key to a full assault on the Knights. That led her to Order of Dagon. Fortunately the Order was able to hide the Key from her before she destroyed them."

"They made me," Dawn said.

"That is the other set of suppositions I wish to share," Sir John said. "I don't think the Order created you."

"What!?!" both Buffy and Dawn said simultaneously.

"We know the Order of Dagon created me as Buffy's sister so she would protect me from Glory," Dawn said.

"I misspoke," Sir John said. "The Order sent the Key to be protected by the Slayer. But I don't think they chose the form."

"Again what?" Buffy said.

"Consider Buffy," Sir John began. "You are the Slayer. You are duty bound to protect the world. Why send the Key in the form a vulnerable teenage girl? Once you knew of the Key's importance you would have done everything in your power to protect it. Yes?"

"Of course," Buffy said. "But making the Key my sister was a sort of guarantee that I would give it my all."

"You are a Slayer Buffy," Sir John noted. "You would always, give it your all, so to speak." Sir John paused again. "Consider this. The ritual Glorificus used. It was a blood ritual was it not?"

"Yes it was," Dawn said.

"Why would a ritual apparently constructed long before Dawn Summers came into being, written while the Key was supposedly still just energy, be a blood ritual. Energy does not bleed."

Dawn began to nod. "They would have to have known the Key could be placed in a human."

"Precisely," Sir John said. "May I show you something?"

"Sure," Dawn said.

Sir John rose from his chair and crossed to other side of the library. He picked up a small wooden box. He carried the box back to sisters and set it down on the coffee table in front of Dawn.

"Please open this," he said motioning to Dawn.

Dawn nodded and opened the box. Inside were was an ancient scroll. Dawn carefully removed it from the box and set it out on the table. She slowly undid the string binding the scroll and then cautiously unrolled the parchment. It was delicate. The writing was faint and the paper badly stained.

"Where did you get this?" Dawn asked.

"Through an old contact in Cairo," Sir John answered. "In my studies I learned the Order of Dagon's roots extend much further than the then their association with the Catholic Church. They allowed themselves to be absorbed by the Church in the third or fourth century as a defensive measure. That way they had some protection following the collapse of the Roman Empire."

"I'm into the history lesson and all," Buffy said. "But what's up with the scroll here?"

"It was done in the first century BC by the group that eventually became the Order of Dagon," Sir John explained. "It is a copy of an even older work that has been lost. I believe the original may have been written in the early days of civilization. Perhaps as many as six thousand years ago."

Dawn was staring at the writing. "The top section was written by the person who did the copying. It's in a really weirded out version of Greek. I'm translating on the fly but he is calling what's written below 'The Word of the Key.' The rest is in a language I don't recognize." Dawn looked at symbols that followed the introduction. "There looks to be a couple of sentences here. Some kind of hieroglyphics but organized like an alphabet. Never seen anything like it before."

"That corresponds with my own analysis," Sir John said. "You'll note the syntax in the introduction."

"Yea," Dawn said studying the scroll. "The phrasing would indicate that the Key itself spoke the original words that are recorded."

"Which implies that the Key itself is alive," Sir John said. "Alive and capable of independent thought. I will concede, Dawn, I am guessing. But if the Key is alive and capable of its own actions than it is very possible that the Key chose the form it took."

"It chose to be Dawn?" Buffy said.

"Possibly," Sir John said. "There is one other thing to consider. As I said before, making the Key a person seems an odd choice. In addition I searched for spells that could be used to create a human being. Spells that could at least duplicate what Order seems to have done."

"Willow tried the same thing once," Dawn said. "She couldn't find one. She couldn't figure out how the Monks created full human being. It is one thing to create something that looks human and animate it to do simple things and even that takes an enormous amount of power. To create a human being and give it life, Willow couldn't find anything that could do that."

"That's because it is not simple," Sir John said. "One does not just whip up a person from scratch. Magic requires a price. My research indicated that only way the Order could have created life was to start with life."

Dawn nodded again. "Energy can't be created or destroyed, only transformed. In magic, life is energy. The Monks couldn't create it, only transform it."

"You understand," Sir John nodded. "And such a spell could not have been performed and maintained for as long as it has been without the consent and the participation of the Key in its own transformation."

"I'm still not sure I get it," Buffy said. "I get that the Key may have been alive before it was placed in Dawn."

"The Key was not placed in Dawn," Sir John cut in. "You have been operating under the assumption that the Order created Dawn as a vessel and placed the Key inside that vessel. What we are saying is that Dawn is the Key. You cannot separate the two."

Buffy nodded. "Ok, I think I get it now," Buffy looked over at Dawn. "I like the idea that you may have picked your own form."

"Still doesn't explain why," Dawn said. "I don't have any memory of being the Key. How does this help us learn more?"

"And that is the final thing we need to discuss," Sir John grew more serious. "I have for most part exhausted all my sources when it comes to learning more about the Key itself. The scroll is the only significant find I have made. You are of course welcome to take it with you. I have not been able to translate it, but your talents are superior to mine in that area."

"Thank you Gray," Dawn said. "You mentioned on the phone about another route to learn more."

"I know a group of Adepts based in Scotland," Sir John said. "They are part of Hunting Lodge. The Hunt Master, Adam Sinclair, and one of his associates, Peregrine Lovat, have talents that may be capable of helping you learn more about yourself. But it would require bringing them here and telling them about the Key."

"Do you trust them?" Dawn asked.

"Without reservation," Sir John answered quickly. "Sir Adam is an honorable man and has become a close friend over the past few years. I have known his mother since the War. Mr. Lovat has grown into a capable Adept with unique talents. I'm certain both of them are in the Council's files. Sophia is quite familiar with the work both of them have done. I can have MI5 turn over its files on both of them to you. Feel free to do your own checks on them before you make any decisions."

Dawn leaned back in her chair. She had always thought of the Key as something separate from Dawn Summers. But now, the idea that the Key may have chosen to become Dawn Summers, she wasn't certain what to think of that. The Key wanted to be human, wanted to be her. The Monks didn't just make her. She may have chosen to be herself.

"I need some time to digest all of this," Dawn said.

"Of course. The decision on how to proceed is yours Dawn," Sir John said.


	46. Chapter Forty Five – The Power of Sugges...

Chapter Forty Five – The Power of Suggestion

Daily Prophet –

WIZARD FOUND DEAD IN HOGSMEADE

The body of Basil Pritchard was found late last night on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The body was discovered by Banky Scrivenshaft the owner of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop while he was returning home. Scrivenshaft reported that he saw several animals milling about just off the trail and went to investigate.

"A couple of foxes were digging a whole in the dirt," Scrivenshaft said. "I figured they were digging up some old animal bones or something then I saw a hand."

Scrivenshaft contacted the Aurors who immediately secured the scene. Pritchard was believed to have been killed several days earlier and his body buried to cover up the crime. Sources within the Aurors report that Pritchard was bludgeoned to death. One source noted that Pritchard was known as a skilled duelist. "It would have taken a very powerful Wizard to do that kind of damage."

For past several months Pritchard has been active in the campaign to reform the curriculum at Hogwarts, where his nephew is a student. He testified at the Ministry that, "Albus Dumbledore's time has past. He clearly no longer is in touch with the needs of the modern wizard. His paranoia has made him see monsters in every shadow. It is only a matter of time before he lashes out"

Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, promised swift action to track down the person responsible. "We have several promising leads," she informed the Daily Prophet.

Some suspect the involvement of Sirius Black who was known to have tried to infiltrate Hogwart's grounds soon after he escaped Azkaban. Sources within the Ministry refused to comment on the record who is under investigation.

---

"So what do you make of this Sir Ian?" Lady Aydin asked, setting down the transcript of the Daily Prophet.

"Riddle is about to make a serious move," Sir Ian replied. "And seems Sinclair is correct, he's going to set up Dumbledore to take the fall for whatever he's planning."

"What do you base that on?" Lady Aydin asked. "I will concede the article does imply that Dumbledore had a reason to go after Pritchard, but that is a long way away from a frame up. Just what do we know about this Pritchard anyway?"

"Very little," Sir Ian answered. "His name is on the list of recently recruited Death Eaters provided by Dumbledore. Although according our agent in the Aurors there was no sign of Dark Mark on the body. My working theory is Riddle is purging his ranks. After the Council's attack he suspects treachery from within. As to the frame up, the article is just one part," Sir Ian said. "That's yesterday's Daily Prophet. Fudge had a meeting with his little cadre yesterday afternoon. Our Mole managed to record it."

"How many members of his 'secret' group are Death Eaters?" Lady Aydin inquired.

"We believe only one," Sir Ian answered. "The rest are sympathetic to Riddle's cause. Think Muggle's are useless and that the Wizarding world needs to remain 'pure', whatever that means," Sir Ian paused. "What is striking is the level of paranoia that Fudge is displaying. He's absolutely convinced that Dumbledore is planning a violent revolution against the government. This is out of character even for him. He already believes Dumbledore killed Pritchard. He's directed Bones to find proof. Our contacts within the Ministry report that the sentiment is shared to a greater or lesser extent among much of the staff."

"Interesting."

"On a similar note," Sir Ian continued. "Fudge's little group has already theorized that Dumbledore is connected to Black."

"How did they come to that conclusion?" Lady Aydin asked.

"As it stated in the article it is known that Black tried to infiltrate Hogwarts grounds," Sir Ian explained. "There is even evidence that he succeeded in getting past the Dementors. It was argued that such a thing could only have been done with the aid of Dumbledore. Add to that neither Potter nor Black has spoken about the need to capture Black in two years. Fudge finds that suspicious. The Death Eater in his ranks encourages that view."

"Not surprising," Lady Aydin said. "I have a theory I'd like to share with you Sir Ian."

"A theory My Lady?"

"Bare with me for a moment. There has been another up tick in 'pranks' across the continent over the past month," Lady Aydin noted. "I've been thinking about Dawn's analysis of the Wizarding world."

"I fail to see the connection."

"The recent spate of pranks began at about the same time the Chamber of Secrets was believed to have been reopened," Lady Aydin noted. "The increase in severity corresponds to when Riddle was fully restored."

Sir Ian began to nod his head. "Yes I think I see the pattern now. The Council attacked Riddle a little over a month ago. Their attack made it seem that several Death Eaters may have turned traitors. Riddle's natural paranoia has to have been inflamed."

"And Fudge's paranoia goes up at the same time," Lady Aydin completed the thought. "Plus an increase in assaults on Muggles."

"You said that Dumbledore explained the Wizarding world's isolation as a sort of 'suggestion' spell, yes?" Sir Ian said.

"Which begs the question, who is making the suggestions?" Lady Aydin said.

"Have you spoken with Dawn or Willow about this?" Sir Ian asked.

"I plan on sharing my thoughts with them soon," Lady Aydin said. "But I have been waiting to see if their analysis of the situation leads them to the same conclusion. Thus far the path they are following seems to be leading in the same direction."

"I'll run this by Jerry when he has time," Sir Ian said. "He is focusing his attention on the interrogation of the Death Eaters."

---

Lucius Malfoy. I am Lucius Malfoy. He kept repeating the mantra in his mind. It was the only thing keeping him sane at moment.

Malfoy had finally deduced that he was in a muggle hospital. A fact that made him sick to his stomach. It also meant he couldn't tell anyone about where he was from. The secrecy laws forbade it. Muggles were not to learn of the Wizarding world.

He had been in and out of consciousness. He wasn't sure how much time had past since he was ambushed. Days, weeks, it all blended together.

He still had no idea how he got here or why everyone insisted on calling him Louis Malone. The doctor had shown him some kind of identification card that had his picture on it. It said his name was Malone. They proceeded to show him pictures from his wallet. Pictures of someone who looked like him fishing from a boat in a river. It had to be a trick. But how could muggles trick him like this?

He had to get out of here. But how? He had no idea what happened to his wand. His clothes were gone. He did not have any charms on him. No portkey. His head still felt groggy. His chest was bandaged. His right arm was in a cast. He still could not feel his legs. The doctor said something about 'shock' to the 'spinal column.' The injury might correct itself once the swelling goes down. He didn't understand any of what was being said to him.

The door opened again and Dr. Abernathy came into the room. Another man that Malfoy didn't recognize followed him.

"Mr. Malone," Dr. Abernathy said. "This is inspector Cromwell. He needs to ask you a few questions."

"My name is Malfoy," Malfoy said in a forceful tone. "I don't have to answer any of your questions."

"Mr. Malone," the man identified as Cromwell said. "You were involved in car accident. A fatal car accident. Three people are dead. Don't think by pretending to be somebody else you can get out of dealing with that."

"What are you babbling about?" Malfoy demanded. "I've never driven a car in my life. Filthy devices. If you are a inspector than you should already know that I'm not this Malone person you all keep talking about."

"You see inspector," Dr. Abernathy said. "I don't believe this is an act. Mr. Malone …"

"MALFOY!!!"

The doctor gave him a sympathetic look. "Shall we step outside inspector?'

"Very well doctor," Cromwell acknowledged. The two stepped through the door. The doorstop flipped down and the door was left ajar. Malfoy could hear what the two were discussing.

"I'm not buying this bastards act Doctor," Cromwell said.

"As I said inspector," Abernathy said. "It's not an act. Mr. Malone experienced an extreme trauma. His mind has found refuge in the fantasy world he created in his books. He's convinced himself that he is the powerful Wizard Lucius Malfoy."

Malfoy blinked. He never told these muggles he was a wizard. How did they know?

"So he thinks he's the hero of the books he writes?" Cromwell said. "Not going to cut it doc. The man got drunk. Got behind the wheel of the car and killed three people. The couple in the other car and his own son."

Draco. Malfoy was shocked. Something happened to Draco. No its part of the trick.

"That's why he has retreated into the hallucination," Abernathy explained. "Drew Malone was the last family he had left. And he knows he's responsible for what happened to him. So rather than deal with that he's decided to become Lucius Malfoy. A man who can just wave a wand and make the world better. When he first awoke he demanded to see 'Minister Fudge,' the character in the books who runs the Wizarding world. He's mumbled about needing to find his wand in his sleep."

"So how do you snap him out of his hallucination?" Cromwell asked.

"It's a delicate process inspector Cromwell," the doctor answered. "We've tried showing him his ID, some pictures from his life. We're going to try showing him the books he's written tomorrow."

"Why can't you just knock some sense into the bastard?" Cromwell asked.

"Inspector Cromwell," Abernathy began. "Mr. Malone may be a suspect to you. But he is my patient. If we push him too hard he may retreat permanently into his hallucination. Or worse we could trigger an even more severe reaction. The man might go catatonic. Give us time to work with him."

"Very well doctor," the inspector said. "I'll defer to your judgment for now. What are the chances he'll snap out of it?"

"Very good right now," the doctor answered. "Thus far he's only really claimed to be Malfoy. He has not claimed openly to be a wizard or that magic is real. He hasn't called any us 'muggles.' He's still clinging to some part of reality. That means the real Louis Malone is still in there."

Malfoy was couldn't process what was happening. These idiot muggles thought he was this Louis Malone that Lucius Malfoy was some kind storybook character. It had to be a trick. He closed his eyes. I am Lucius Malfoy. I am Lucius Malfoy.

The Dark Lord would come for him soon. His wife would report his disappearance. Fudge would have every Auror in England looking for him.

I am Lucius Malfoy. I am Lucius Malfoy.


	47. Chapter FortySix – Students and Teachers

Chapter Forty-Six – Students and Teachers

Moody was finally starting to feel like himself. His jaw had healed and he could talk again. His arm was still in a sling. In addition to the fractures, several ligaments had been torn and the muscles in his arm badly sprained. That girl, Slayer she was called, was far stronger than she had looked.

The Muggles that ran this place were treating him well. Both Sinclair and Dumbledore had come to see him.

Moody shook his head. The two of them were working together again. He wasn't certain if that was good or bad. Merlin knew separately the two of them were sneakier than any ten other wizards. Together, Moody just shook his head again. At least their plans were directed against the Dark Lord and his ilk.

"Moody, sir" came a voice from the door. "How are you?"

"Sinclair," Moody replied. "As well as I can be. They're finally letting me move around on my own. With a guard of course. Still won't let me have my eye back."

"It can see through walls," his visitor replied. "Certainly you, of all people, can appreciate the need for security. They're just being prudent."

"I suppose they are," Moody looked his visitor over. "So this is why you quit the Aurors Sinclair. To work for Muggles."

"Yes," Jennifer answered. "I work for British Intelligence."

"Telling them all our secrets no doubt," Moody said accusingly.

"They knew most of them already," Jennifer answered. "Including a lot of the ones you don't even know."

"My best student in years," Moody said. "Could take down most dark wizards before they even knew you were there. Threw that away to work here."

"I didn't throw anything away," Jennifer replied forcefully. "I spent two years as an Auror. I know what it was like. The Ministry giving a nod and a wink to Wizards from prominent families who liked to play 'pranks' on people. Eliminating our authority to monitor former Death Eaters. They forced you out."

"I know what's happening in the Ministry lass," Moody said. "But coming here, to work for the Muggles?"

"I serve the Crown," Sinclair answered. "I admit I was reluctant when Grandfather broached the subject to me. But it was the best decision I ever made. You have no idea just how big the world really is. How amazing. I've seen a lot of it. Seen things even you would have a hard time believing."

"And attacking your own people", Moody said. "You helped them kill Remus."

Jennifer paused and spoke in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry. We were going after Black. We didn't know about the Order. We didn't know Black was innocent."

"Your damned grandfather playing his own games," Moody said.

"And Dumbledore's better," Sinclair said.

"Better than Sinclair," Moody said.

"Then where was he when Death Eaters were killing my parents?" Jennifer shot back. "Where was he while Riddle was murdering his way through our world? Up at his damn school, watching the action from a safe distance."

"The Order fought the whole time," Moody retorted. "We were doing a damn sight more than most."

"And it still wasn't enough," Jennifer said. "We got lucky with Potter. You have no idea how close it was. I do. They almost did it. The Crown. They almost pulled all our protections away. You would have seen the British army marching through Hogsmeade."

"It never would have come to that," Moody said.

"314 people confirmed killed by Death Eaters throughout Europe during Riddle's terror campaign," Jennifer said. "Most of them for loyalty tests, some just for fun. And that's the dead. That's not counting the injured. The tortured. The raped. That will not be allowed to happen again."

"314 Muggles?" Moody said. "We all knew it was bad. Didn't know it was that bad."

"Of course not," Jennifer said. "It was probably a lot more. As I said, those were the confirmed deaths. There are number of deaths classed as suspicious." Jennifer paused. "And I didn't say 'muggles' I said people. Did you know the Ministry refused to accept the Crown's evidence of Wizard involvement in those deaths? They were just 'Muggles' after all with the evidence coming from other ignorant 'Muggles.' We even had evidence of the first kill Lucius Malfoy did to cement his position among the Death Eaters. It wasn't conclusive, but it was good enough. You never heard it at his trial, because it came from Muggle sources."

Moody shook his head. "And that means they can charge in now?"

"Yes it does," Jennifer said. "The Ministry is paralyzed. Fudge is an idiot. You and your Order of the Phoenix are hanging out in the shadows."

"We've been working against the Death Eaters," Moody said.

"Doing what?" Jennifer asked. "We've captured five Death Eaters already. Given time we'll probably have the location of most of the Death Eater's major safe houses and good idea of their plans. That's about six months after we got confirmation of Riddle's return. What has the Order done during that time?"

Moody blinked. They've done that much. "We've been blocking the Dark Lords plans. Preventing him from getting the things he wants."

"Like what?" Jennifer said. "What's in the Department of Mysteries? We know Order members have been watching the entrance."

"I'm not telling you that," Riddle answered.

"Didn't expect you too," Jennifer said. "My guess is a prophecy."

"Guess all you want," Moody said. "I'm still not saying. He can't get it because of us. We've got almost all his Death Eaters pegged. We've done our part."

"And we'll do ours," Jennifer said. Her face tightened and she turned to leave. She stopped. "It was because they forced you out."

"What?"

"Why I left," Jennifer said turning back towards Moody. "When they forced you to 'retire.' That's when I knew Grandfather was right. The Ministry was no longer able or willing to do its job."

"Still good people there," Moody said. "You abandoned them."

"Of course there's good people there," Jennifer replied. "But they're hamstrung. Assaults against 'muggles' receive the lowest priority. Riddle's followers are allowed to roam unchecked. Crouch may have overreached in his prosecutions, but that's because he was forced to target too many low level people. He was blocked from going after prominent Death Eaters."

"I told them that," Moody said. "Letting Malfoy go. Imperious curses aren't that powerful. Forcing someone to do that many things against their will for that long leaves scars. Malfoy was the picture of health."

"And it got you tossed out," Jennifer said. "Here I can do something. I can help take out Riddle and protect our people far better than I ever could as an Auror. You even know I'm right. Otherwise you wouldn't have joined the Order of the Phoenix."

"I have plenty of reasons to join the Order," Moody said. "Maybe your right. The Ministry wouldn't use your talents. You could've come to me."

"Maybe I could have," Jennifer said. "But then I wouldn't be here. I like it here. These are good people. They let me do my job."

"I didn't teach you quit," Moody said.

"No, you taught me to fight," Jennifer said. "And that's what I do here. I fight to protect our people."

"You expect me to trust these people on your say so," Moody said.

"Of course not," Jennifer said. "You don't trust anybody."

"Then why did you come here?"

"I don't know," Jennifer said. "I guess I missed you. Always yelling at me about wand safety. You were one of the best teachers I ever had," she turned to leave again.

"You do keep your wand safe?"

Jennifer half turned again. She held out her arm and gave a quick flick of her wrist. A wand popped into her hand. "Holstered and ready for action at all times."

* * *

With that she left.

Voldemort sat in his throne room and pondered.

It would happen soon. He would strike out directly. It was sooner then he planned. But the betrayal of Malfoy and the others forced his hand. If all went as planned his old teacher would receive the blame.

So many years of planning, so many years spent studying, spent in patient learning. Soon it would truly begin.

He would free his people from the weakness that had overcome them. He knew the truth. The price the Wizarding world had paid for its 'peace.' They were weak. Their power was fading. His people were a pale shadow of their past glory. They were dying. Worse, they did not even know how close death was to claiming them. Polluted by outside blood. Weakened by their self-imposed prison.

Such power they once had. To craft the majesty that was Hogwarts. To build the Ministry of Magic in the heart of Muggle London. The power to restore life. Where was that power now? Such skills were lost.

He must act. He must first purify his people. Remove the weakness from their blood. Once done, they could begin to spread out. To take back what they foolishly surrendered all those centuries ago.

The fool Dumbledore and the others like him. They lived in fear. They wanted everything to stay the same. Unchanging forever. That path had led to weakness.

Slytherin had seen it. They flaw in the other's plan to 'save' their people. D'Karsh had been right in a way. Retreating from the world was not an answer.

The Muggle filth that infested the world. They at least grew and changed. His own people were frozen in time. Creating nothing truly new. Even to point of aping the 'Muggles' advances.

"Master," one of his followers entered the chamber and kneeled before him. "We are ready, Master."

"Fudge has been given the proper information?"

"As you ordered Master," his follower said. "I found what you sought among Wormtail's possessions."

"Excellent," Voldemort smiled. "Go now."

Another smile played across his lips.

Soon.

* * *

"Minister, you requested to see me," Amelia Bones entered Minister Fudge's office.

"Yes Amelia," Fudge said. He was doing this meeting one on one. Better to press the importance of the matter. "Have a seat. There are things I need to tell you."

"Is this about the investigation into Pritchard's death," Amelia said. "I can not find anything linking Dumbledore to the crime," she was uncomfortable with Fudge taking this active a role in the investigation. Bad enough he had yanked the Black investigation away from her.

"Some new information has come into my possession," Fudge said. "It means I now have to tell you why I told you to focus on Dumbledore. The man is growing far too dangerous."

"In what way sir?" she asked.

"Lucius Malfoy is not taking an extended vacation as has been reported," Fudge said. "He has disappeared."

"What?"

"He has disappeared," Fudge repeated. "A little over a month ago. According to his wife he was on his way to Hogwarts to confront Dumbledore."

"That's what some of Pritchard's friends say he may have been doing," Bones noted. "But we know Dumbledore was probably in the Castle at the time we believe the murder occurred."

"That is why I believe Black may be working for Dumbledore," Fudge said. "In fact he may have been working for Dumbledore all along."

"What are you talking about Minister?" Bones asked. "'All along.' Do mean before he went to Azkaban?"

"Possibly," Fudge said. "It looks like Dumbledore may also have been using You-Know-Who's presence to further his own ends even all those years ago. Look at this," he handed Bones a file.

Amelia looked through it. "There is a picture in here of Black with Dumbledore. Some other people here, the Potters, Lupin, Podmore and McGonagall. Is that Arthur Weasley?"

"Yes it is. It came into my possession from a trusted source," Fudge said. "It was taken when You-Know-Who was first coming into his power. It was a group Dumbledore put together. I don't know what they were called. It seems Dumbledore was quite close to Black back then."

"He betrayed a lot of people," Bones noted.

"Perhaps," Fudge said. "Or perhaps Dumbledore betrayed even more. When You-Know-Who fell, Dumbledore got almost as much credit as Potter. He had a lot of influence."

"He could have become the next Minister of Magic," Bones said. "He chose not to."

"Because he preferred power behind the scenes," Fudge said. "He tried very hard to dictate everything I did early in my administration. I admit I was weaker then and allowed him to push me harder than I should have. But I'm stronger now. He can no longer force his ideas down my throat."

"I still don't understand what any of this means Minister," Bones said.

"Dumbledore wants power," Fudge said. "Because of You-Know-Who he got a lot of power. Now he's faking You-Know-Who's return in order to get that power back. He thinks everyone will leap back to him. But he knows it's not enough to say You-Know-Who is back. We've got him blocked. No, he needs some kind of proof."

"He kidnapped Malfoy to create proof of the return of He-Who-Must-Be-Named," Bones said. "And he arranged for Pritchard's murder to create the same thing."

"Precisely," Fudge said. "Look at the picture. There's Mad-Eye Moody, who Crouch supposedly lived as for nearly a year. Right under Dumbledore's nose, mind you. The great Albus Dumbledore fooled by someone using polyjuice potion. There's Remus Lupin, another DADA teacher Dumbledore tried to force past the Ministry. All the people who support Dumbledore now, were backing him then. It's too coincidental."

"I see what you mean Minister," Bones said. "But one old picture is not proof of a conspiracy."

"Of course not," Fudge said. "But it's a place to start. I want you to find the people in this picture and keep tabs on them. Use only your most trusted people. The ones with no connection to Dumbledore or any of these people. Dumbledore has to be getting desperate. We've managed to keep people from panicking over his claims You-Know-Who has returned. Dolores almost has enought information to enable to Ministry to finally force him out of Hogwarts. He has to do something soon. Something big."

"It will take time Minister," Bones said. "Whatever you may think about him, Dumbledore is powerful. The man has eyes everywhere. Knows things there is no way he should be able to."

"That's why I delayed bringing you into this Amelia," Fudge said. "I've been collecting evidence on my own."

Bones nodded. That explained all the 'secret' meetings Fudge had been attending and messages he had only Weasley deliver.

"Thank you for the trust you are showing in me Minister," Bones said. "I will do everything I can to live up to it."

"Excellent," Fudge said. "Soon we can get rid of that dangerous old fool."

* * *

Deep in the cells of Azkaban ten people rose from their beds at the same time. They were weak, drawn. The effects of years in Azkaban. But recently the Dementors had been going easier on them. They practically left them alone. Ever since the Dark Marks had reappeared on their arms. They were getting stronger.

Their Master had returned. And he was coming for them. They would be free. And the Wizarding world would pay for what was done to them.

Around the Isle of Azkaban the Dementors waited. The Heir of Slytherin had returned. They allowed his followers to regain their strength. They could wait for a time. Soon the feast long denied would be theirs.

A/N - Sorry for the lengthy delay in updating this story. My muse has been taking some very odd turns of late (see for example yet another drabble added to my Legion of Superheroes crossover). I've had a very long talk with it and hopefully it will focus on finishing the stories I'm currently working on stop hanging out with all those plot bunnies and their bad influences.


	48. Chapter Forty Seven Counterstrike

Chapter Forty Seven - Counterstrike

The Death Eaters arrived on the far side of Azkaban Island. The two men pulled their small boat onto the beach. The island was protected by powerful wards. Apparition and portkeys only worked in one set place that was closely monitored by the Aurors assigned to the island.

The two looked around nervously. The Dark Lord had been very specific in his instructions. They were to come to this point and wait. One of the men glimpsed nervously behind him. The creature that the Dark Lord had sent to accompany them just stood there.

It was tall, with curved horns on either side of its head. The man had no idea what it was. He didn't recall seeing anything like it in any of his magical creatures classes at Durmstrang. Whatever it was it looked dangerous. It 'spoke' some strange guttural language that he didn't understand.

He turned his attention back to the scanning the island as his companion was doing. Both men could feel the distant presence of the Dementors that roamed the island at will.

* * *

Prisoner's wands were kept in a secure storage facility away from the main prison. Of course nothing on Azkaban was truly secure from the Dementors. They had lived on this island for centuries. Everything was open to them. 

A Dementor entered the chamber unseen by the Auror guarding outside. It slowly and methodically made its way around the chamber. It selected ten wands. It then came to an eleven. It picked up that wand and replaced it with identical looking one. Satisfied that its task was complete it left the chamber.

* * *

Inside the prison ten prisoners rose from their beds as one. They could feel the summons as they had months before. Only now they could answer. The Dementors had cleared the path. The doors to their cells were open and their wands were lying on ground waiting for them. 

An eleven prisoner was still in his cell. Curled up on the ground. Three dementors surrounded him. One of the freed prisoners entered the cell. A wicked smirk crossed his features as he raised his wand. The dementors moved aside allowing him to stun the man. He then floated him out of the cell.

* * *

The Aurors assigned to Azkaban Fortress generally preferred to stay out of the actual prison. The Dementors prowled the halls relentlessly, making just entering the prison a dangerous proposition. They stayed in a small building adjacent to the castle. For the most part the Dementors left them alone. Only occasionally passing close enough to the building to cause the Aurors significant discomfort. 

It was well known that postings to Azkaban were often given out as punishments within the Aurors ranks. It was rare for the best or brightest to be posted there for long. After all, their presence wasn't really needed. The Dementors kept the prisoners quite secure.

Galiwag prepared to enter the castle. It was his turn to make the rounds this evening making certain all the prisoners were secured. It was a new policy, laid out by the previous head of the prison, who herself had had only visited the island once late the previous summer. Umbridge just sent orders from her office at the Ministry.

But after the escapes of Black and Crouch, she insisted that Aurors regularly check each prisoner.

Galiwag entered the fortress and began his rounds checking each cell as he went along.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" came a woman's voice from somewhere behind him. He spun around, wand at the ready. The woman was faster. "Crucio!"

* * *

The Auror outside the wand storage facility began to feel a little ill. The Dementorshad been passing close by all night. He focused trying to keep his mind clear. He could see more Dementors moving towards him. He kept his eye on them. He didn't want them getting too much closer. He missed the sound of someone walking towards him in the shadows. 

Dolohov smiled. It had been many years since he had the pleasure of taking a life. He raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra," the green beam shot out from the end of his wand. The Auror slumped over dead.

With another spell he blew open the doors to the storage chamber.

He then proceeded to join the others as the Dementors led them across the island.

* * *

The two Death Eaters were still waiting patiently when one of them caught movement out of the corner of his eye. People, moving closer. He signaled his companion and both drew out their wands and took cover behind a small out-cropping of rocks. 

There were twelve of them moving slowing across the rocky landscape. Ten were walking the other two were being floated along, none too gently by the look of things. Dementors glided along around them.

The Death Eaters recognized the woman leading the group. They stepped out from behind the rocks and waved to their comrades.

"Well, look at this," the woman said. "Cowards too scared to recognize the truth of the Dark Lord's return. Cowards who denounced their loyalty to the Master to escape punishment."

"Lady Bellatrix," the first man spoke in nervous voice. "W-we sought to remain free so as to prepare the path for the Master's return."

Bellatrix Lestrange smirked. "I assume you were not foolish enough to try that lie on the Dark Lord. You are still alive," she motioned with her hand. "These two must be disposed of."

"Of course My Lady," the man nodded. "The Master was very specific about how that was to be done," he motioned the creature that had accompanied them forward. "This creature is to be given the honor of killing them."

Lestrange studied the creature in front of her. It was new her. "Awaken them," she said as she motioned the other Death Eaters to stand clear. "I wish to see what this creature can do."

One of her companions motioned with his wand and spoke a spell. The prisoner and the Auror awoke at the same time. They looked around. Both men's eyes went wide with fear as they realized they were surrounded by Death Eaters. Instinctively both men reached for wands. One of the Death Eaters taunted them by holding them up.

They turned when they heard a guttural sound from behind them. They saw the something standing there. They tried to run but some kind of spray came out the creature's nose. Galiwag took the full force. He collapsed to the ground unable to move.

The prisoner tried to run but every direction he turned a Death Eater blocked his path. The creature let out a roar and charged him. His screams ended quickly.

Galiwag watched from the ground. All he felt was pain. He couldn't do anything. He could feel Dementors gathering around them. Feeding off his fear and helplessness. The creature turned towards him. He was still paralyzed. It walked up to him. Galiwag's last sight was of the smile on the creatures face.

"Impressive," Lestrange said. "Leave the bodies."

The Death Eaters began to leave. The one who had been holding the wands casually tossed them near the bodies.

"How soon until we see the Dark Lord?" Lestrange asked.

"I do not know," the man answered, fear in his voice. "The Master said he had one other task to perform this night."

* * *

Deep within the bowels of the Ministry of Magic Voldemort waited patiently. Ordinarily getting what he wanted out the Department of Mysteries would have been a simple task. Most of the security was weak and useless. But the extra protections on the prophecies were proving to be tougher than he had expected. Only he or that damned child could remove the orb from its resting place. 

That meant he had to come and personally to retrieve the prophecy. Again this would normally be a straight forward task. But for Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. At least one of their members constantly monitored the entrance. He could slip past the weak defenses with ease, but a single slip against those watchful eyes and the alarm would be raised and he would have to retreat without his prize. To stand and fight would risk exposure. And it was too soon for that.

His original plan had been to kill whatever member of the Order guarded the entrance and then take the orb. But that had changed. Now he had a new plan. One that implicated his old teacher and discredited key members Order.

He could see Arthur Weasley was watching the entrance this night. Perfect. Driving that annoying family of traitors into ground should prove most enjoyable. All he needed to do was wait. The Dementors should be informing the Aurors of the escape from Azkaban any moment now.

* * *

Galiwag was overdue, something that was virtually unheard of when making the rounds in the prison. Nobody ever stayed a moment longer then they had to. The other Aurors were about to head into the prison to find out if anything was wrong when a Dementor appeared. 

"Esscaappe," it hissed. "Goone,"

"What?" the Auror in charge yelled. "Who escaped?"

"Esscaape," the Auror said.

"Where's Galiwag?" the Auror asked.

"Gone," was the only answer.

"Search the prison," the leader began snapping orders. "Find out who's escaped. You inform the Ministry, we need additional Aurors to search the Island," he pointed to two other Aurors. "You two, secure the wands, who ever it is will make a try from them. GO!"

The Aurors moved quickly. They made a sweep of the prison. It was rapidly determined that eleven prisoners had escaped.

The Dementors led them to cell where the first prisoner had disappeared.

"Who's cell was this?" the leader asked.

"Podmore's sir," came the reply.

Another Auror jogged up. "Support will be arriving in a few minutes. The Ministry is being put into lockdown."

* * *

Cornelius Fudge had been awoken only minutes after word of the mass breakout from Azkaban reached the Ministry. He strode into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in full force. He needed to secure the premises quickly. 

Amelia Bones met him at the door.

"I want the Ministry secured immediately," Fudge ordered. "Use your most trusted people. Everyone currently in the building is to be confined to their offices. No gets in or out."

"Minister?" Bones said in a questioning tone.

"Don't you see," Fudge said. "Dumbledore is making his move. We need to secure the Ministry now. We have to prevent him from doing anything else."

"Yes Minister," Bones replied. "But I need to secure Azkaban as well."

"Of course," Fudge said. "Dispatch your Aurors to the prison."

"Yes Minister," Bones turned to begin issuing orders.

* * *

Arthur Weasley was tucked into the shadows on level nine. He had the duty tonight to make certain none of Voldemort's followers penetrated the Department of Mysteries. 

His attention shifted when he heard the elevator lift open. Four Aurors swept into the hallway moving diligently checking every nook and cranny. It would only be a few moments before they found Arthur in his hiding place. He had little choice. He stepped out of the shadows and began to walk casually towards the Aurors.

"What are you doing down here?" one the Aurors demanded the moment he saw the man approaching them. Arthur was surprised when all four turned towards him. Their wands were drawn. Something had them on edge.

"Just stretching my legs," Arthur replied. "Been working all day. Needed to get away from my desk."

"Who are you and where do you work?" the Auror demanded.

"Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts," Arthur answered.

"You need to return to your desk immediately. The Ministry is under full lockdown until further notice," the Auror informed him. "Barbary, Rastrock escort Mr. Weasley back to his office. Horton and I will finish securing this level."

"Yes Sir," came the quick reply. "Mr. Weasley if you will come with us."

Arthur was trapped. There was no way and no time to contact another member of the Order to watch over the Department of Mysteries. But he had no other choice but to go with the Aurors. Raising a fuss now would accomplish nothing. Hopefully they would leave him alone once he was back at his office so he could contact the Order and let them know what was going on. The Department of Mysteries should be secure for tonight. With Aurors prowling the halls the Death Eaters wouldn't be able to get in.

He nodded his head and allowed the Aurors to lead him away.

* * *

Voldemort watched as Weasley was led away. Perfect, he thought. 

He glided out of the shadows and returned to his human form. The two Aurors that remained turned as he approached. The leader bowed his head.

"Master," he said. "Fudge has done as you predicted. No will allowed unto this floor until you leave."

"Excellent," Voldemort said. "Report precisely what I tell you to report. I will only need a few minutes."

With that he turned back towards the entrance to the Department of Mysteries. Bypassing the security was straight forward. Within minutes he was in the Hall of Prophecies. He could feel the anticipation. The last variable, the only knowledge still hidden from him would soon be in his grasp. Soon the last uncertainty would be removed and he would be free to remake the world.

He found the orb. He saw his title along with the name of the Potter boy. A moment of confusion crossed his features at the question mark in front of Potter's name. He reached out and grasped the orb and listened to the Prophecy.

* * *

Harry Potter had not been sleeping well at all for the past month. 

Remus was dead. That was all he knew. Dumbledore had told him along with Hermione and Ron late one night in his office. For the first time in Harry's memory Dumbledore had seemed human, smaller, weaker. Remus' death seemed to pain Dumbledore almost as much as it did Harry. Ron and Hermione were just as bad off.

School was miserable. Umbridge's constant harassment. The detentions. The suspicious looks from most of the students. He was banned from Quidditch for life, so even that small piece of happiness was denied him. Only the DA kept him going. He was surprised to find how much he enjoyed teaching.

But Remus was gone. He knew Remus would have been proud of the job he was doing in the DA. Harry had so wanted to talk to him about it. To get his suggestions for additional lessons. After all, most of what Harry was teaching was coming directly from the lessons Remus had given him. But he would never get that chance now.

Harry still didn't know what happened. Dumbledore said he would explain everything during Christmas break. But Harry knew it must have been Voldemort that did it. He had taken one of the few remaining links left to his parents.

Harry was going to make him pay.

Sleep came in fitful starts and stops. But now he had had finally drifted and was dreaming.

He could feel something. Anticipation, excitement. In his minds eye he saw a long hallway leading to a door. He passed through the door with ease. Soon he was in a room. Shelves towered towards the high ceiling.

The shelves were lined with globes. Each one giving off a light glow. There were labels with names under each of them. The feeling of anticipation grew as moved through the shelves. He knew nothing could stop him now. An answer he had been searching for would soon be in his possession.

Soon he was staring down at one of the globes. Written on the label beneath it was "S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. – Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter." His hand reached out and for the first time Harry realized it wasn't his hand. It was thin and boney. Long delicate fingers grasped the globe and pulled it pulled it closer. Harry began to hear words being spoken.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

Elation spread through him. The answer. Harry could feel the excitement. The hand raised up the globe and smashed it on the ground. His other arm swept out holding his wand. Lightening flashed out. The orbs lining the shelves around him shattered.

At that moment Harry felt as if he were looking through another set of eyes.

Surprise then hatred flowed towards him. Hatred and then laughter. He knew that laugh.

Voldemort.

Voldemort's voice flowed through his mind. "I have you now boy. The last secret is mine. The Muggle-loving fool has given me all I need."

Harry's shot up from his bed. He was sweating. The hatred was still pouring through him. He could feel what Voldemort felt. The echo of Voldemort's laughter lingered in his mind.

Harry screamed.


	49. Chapter Forty Eight – Regrouping

Chapter Forty Eight – Regrouping

Harry was still screaming when Neville led McGonagall into the dormitory.

"Potter?" she said. "Where does it hurt? What happened?"

Harry just slumped back into his bed and curled up. He was shaking his head. "He knows. He knows now. He'll come. He doesn't have to hold back anymore. He knows."

"Who knows?" Ron asked.

"What happened?" McGonagall demanded.

"I don't know," Ron said in a worried voice. "He just started screaming."

"Come," McGonagall said. "We must get him to Madam Pomfrey immediately."

"NO!" Harry shouted. "Dumbledore has to know. Voldemort found what he was looking for. We have to tell Dumbledore."

"Potter, what are you talking about?"

"I saw it," Harry said. "I was there. He found it. He knows. We have to tell Dumbledore."

"You had a dream."

"NO!" Harry shouted. "I was there. I was a snake. Then I was Voldemort. We found the orb. HE KNOWS!" Why wouldn't they believe him?

McGonagall stared at Harry for a second. "I believe you Potter."

She quickly led him out of the Gryffindor tower and through to school until they were at the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Fizzing Whizbee," McGonagall said.

The gargoyle quickly moved aside revealing the entrance. She led Harry up the stairs and to the oak door of the Headmaster's office. She could hear numerous voices chattering away behind the door despite the late hour. She rapped three times with the knocker.

The voices stopped and the door opened of its own accord. Fawkes slept silently on his perch. They found Professor Dumbledore sitting comfortably in a large black chair at his desk.

"Professor McGonagall and, well, isn't this a surprise."

"Professor Dumbledore, Potter has had a … well a nightmare," McGonagall said. "He says …"

"It wasn't a nightmare," Harry cut her off.

"Very well then, Potter," McGonagall said with a frown. "You tell the Headmaster about it."

"I … I was asleep," Harry said. The terror was still there. The echo of Voldemort's laughter lingered in his mind. "Voldemort found it. The orb. 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord …'"

"Enough," Dumbledore cut him off. Voldemort found the prophecy. It was too soon. Harry wasn't ready yet.

"Professor," Harry said. "He knows."

"Headmaster," McGonagall said. "What's happening? It was just a dream."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Go back to the dormitory and gather your things Harry. Professor McGonagall, see that the Weasleys and Ms Granger do the same. They are to be taken to the Headquarters tonight."

"Professor?" McGonagall was confused.

"Do it now," Dumbledore said. He then came around from behind his desk and leaned down in front of Harry. "Harry, listen to me. Tell no one what you heard. Not yet. I will explain everything to you soon. But you must get to the Headquarters tonight."

"Yes Professor," Harry nodded. Dumbledore stared at him intensely for a few more seconds.

"Minerva, let nothing stop you," Dumbledore said.

"What's happening Professor?" McGonagall demanded.

"The Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban a short while ago," Dumbledore said. "Fudge is locking down the Ministry. He will make a move against the Order soon. We must make certain the children are safe. I must make other arrangements."

McGonagall's eyes went wide at revelation. "Of course Headmaster. Come Potter. We must hurry."

As soon as the two left Dumbledore turned to one of the pictures are the wall. He spoke rapidly. The portrait nodded and left the frame.

* * *

"Do we know how they escaped yet?" Amelia Bones demanded. 

"Sturgis Podmore was the first to escape," the Auror reported. "He must have let the others out."

"How did he get out?"

"We're not certain," came the reply. "The wand storage facility was broken into after the escape. The ten wands belonging to the Death Eaters were taken. Podmore's was still there. We're bringing it in for testing. My guess is we'll find it was a fake."

Bones nodded. "He had his wand the whole time. Have your people finished sweeping the island yet?"

"No ma'am. It's slow going. The Dementors are making things difficult. They seem very upset by the escape."

"They are undoubtedly off the island by now anyway," Bones said. "The escape was obviously well planned. They would have had transportation waiting for them."

"I agree ma'am."

Bones turned her attention to another Auror. "The Ministry is fully secured?"

"Yes Director Bones. We've accounted for everyone in the building. With the exception of Aurors stationed at the entrances and patrolling everyone is confined to their offices. The only area left is the Department of Mysteries. We'll have to get authorization from the Minister before we can do a search."

"I will see too it," Bones said. "Continue with the lockdown until further notice."

* * *

"This is preposterous!" Lucius Malfoy shouted. He threw the book across the room. "I did not write that drivel!" 

"Mr. Malone," Dr. Abernathy said. "You write a series of children's books about a mysterious world of wizards. That was the first book in the series."

"Malfoy!" came the retort. "My name is Malfoy."

The doctor sighed and went to retrieve the book.

* * *

"Why are you doing this at three o'clock in the morning?" Moody asked. 

"We're disrupting his time sense," Cromwell answered watching the monitors carefully. "He gets between three to eight hours of sleep at a stretch. But he thinks he's getting eight hours a day. He has no idea how long he's been here. His internal rhythms are completely off kilter."

"And this whole charade of making him think he's a muggle?" Moody asked.

"To break down the fidelius," Cromwell said. "As you know fidelius charms are keyed to specific information. The stronger the connections, the stronger the fidelius. They also work most effectively when the person wants to protect the information. There is a reason they are called 'fidelius' charms."

"I know that," Moody snapped. "But why this? Someone skilled in Occlumency could take the information from his mind."

"True," Cromwell acknowledged. "And we know several telepaths who could break his defenses. But you only get one try at that. Breaking the fidelius in that matter also breaks the mind. Odds are we would get some information, but a great deal would be lost. And we wouldn't get another try at it. By destroying Malfoy's sense of self, he will become increasingly desperate to prove who he is. He'll latch unto anything in his own mind that he can use. Those things that he feels are unique or untouchable."

"Information protected by a fidelius," Moody nodded. "You think he'll try to break the fidelius himself. He'll want to reveal the information."

"Exactly," Cromwell said. "He's already showing signs of doubt. Twice he's responded to the name Malone without correcting anybody. The more he's disassociated from the Malfoy persona, the weaker the bonds of the fidelius. A little push and he'll break the fidelius for us. It's time consuming but the process is more certain to get us everything we need. Plus we'll still have access to him."

"Done this before have you?"

"I'm not authorized to reveal any information in that regard," Cromwell said.

A uniformed soldier entered the room. "Mr. Moody," he said. "We have a developing situation. Major Chisholm wants to see you. Now," he motioned with hand for Moody to follow.

"Am I needed?" Cromwell asked.

"Not at this moment sir," came the reply. "There will be a briefing of senior staff in four hours. You will be expected to attend. Mr. Moody, if you please."

Moody allowed himself to be led through the complex. The guard that was assigned to him followed. It was slow going as he was still recovering from his injuries. But a few minutes later the three entered a large room. There were several tables with, he remembered them being called 'computers.' Along one wall was a map of London. He saw the area where the Ministry of Magic was located outlined with a glowing red line.

He saw Major Chisholm talking with a man he didn't recognize.

"That's confirmation?" Major Chisholm asked.

"Yes Major," the man answered. "All the protective wards have gone active. It's completely locked down."

The Major turned to another person in the room. "Inform Director Buford that we have confirmation."

"Yes Sir."

"What's happening?" Moody demanded.

Major Chisholm turned to look at him. "A little more than two hour ago the Ministry of Magic's complex in London went into complete lockdown. Every protective ward around the facility has gone active."

"Why?"

"We don't know yet."

"Sir," Moody turned to see Lt. Cranston enter the room. "Sinclair is here. He wants to see Moody. He also says he knows what's going on."

"Send him up," Chisholm ordered.

A few minutes later Elder Sinclair came into the room in full stride.

"I just briefed Sophia a short while ago," he said. "There has been a mass breakout from Azkaban prison."

"Who?" Moody asked.

"All the Death Eaters," Sinclair answered. "Young Tom has made his move. Fudge has ordered the Ministry into lockdown. He already suspects Albus of being behind this. Alastor, I need you to accompany me back to Black's house. The full Order will be meeting within the hour. We need to make plans for this."

"Private, escort Mr. Moody back to his quarters to gather his things," Major Chisholm said. "Mr. Moody we will return your eye when you exit the grounds.'

Moody nodded and turned to leave.

"One thing Alastor," Sinclair said.

Moody turned. "Yes Elder?"

Sinclair reached into his jacket a pulled out a wand. "I made this for you," he said handing it to Moody. "It uses your old core. It will need to be broken in of course. But it should serve you well."

Moody gave the wand an experimental swish. A burst of sparkles came out the end. He bowed his head. "Thank you Elder."

"Go, I will meet you outside shortly," Sinclair said. "We have much to do in a short time."

* * *

A short while later Dumbledore and Sinclair were talking privately in one of upstairs bedrooms at the Headquarters. Most of the other members of the Order were downstairs still trying to come to grips with ten escaped Death Eaters. The children had been sent to bed. And Dumbledore had personally seen to it that would not be able to eavesdrop from their rooms. 

"This house will not be secure for long," Sinclair noted. "The raid destroyed many of the protective charms and we have not had sufficient time to rebuild all of the defenses."

"True," Dumbledore replied. "Bellatrix knows about the house. It is only a matter of time before she turns Tom's attentions here. But it is secure enough for a few days. We have a far larger problem."

"You did not say mention another problem in your communiqué," Sinclair said.

"Tom has discovered the prophecy," Dumbledore said. "He knows about his connection to Harry. He knows the truth. He knows that you and I are not a threat to him."

"Damn," Sinclair said. "You should have destroyed the prophecy yourself. The boy is hardly ready to face Tom. Up until now he has had you to watch over and protect him. Even if he was unaware of that fact. That and luck. If Tom had known the truth in their last encounter…"

"Harry would be dead," Dumbledore finished. "And all of our hopes would be lost. Destroying Tom would become little more than a meaningless gesture."

"We must find a safe place to train the boy properly," Sinclair said. "The school will provide only limited protection now. And the type of training he needs can not be accomplished with Umbridge lurking about."

"I fear there is no place secure within the Wizarding World," Dumbledore said. "Tom's resources are proving almost as extensive as our own. And Cornelius will now begin to target Order members directly. Arthur is still trapped in the Ministry while the lockdown continues."

"We have allies outside the Wizarding World now," Sinclair noted. "Ones who almost certainly have a place that can serve are needs."

"Then we should contact them immediately."

* * *

The theme music from "The Brady Bunch" blared out of Dawn's cell phone waking her up from a sound sleep. 

"Damn it Willow," she said. This was the fifth time the witch had somehow managed to change her ring tones. "One little ingredient. She was yellow for less than a day," Dawn muttered.

She wondered across the room and found her cell phone. She picked it up and quickly silenced the ring knowing that it was already too late and she have that annoying song in her head all day.

"Willow is so going down," she said as she raised the phone to her ear. "Dawn here … Elder … No no. It's alright, I've had my two hours … We Know … Sophia called us. Not much we can do about it unless you know where they are … I figured … You need what? … Yeah, we might be to find someplace like that … How many people? … Ok … call me at three this afternoon … I need to talk to some people first … Make sure everyone is safe … Goodbye."

Dawn turned off the phone. She threw on her nightgown and went to her kitchen. After pouring herself a glass of milk she took out her cell phone again and hit the speed dial.

"Kennedy … It's Dawn. I need to talk to Willow for a second … 'Bout as much as I've had … Thanks … Hey Willow. Sinclair called … They need a secure location outside the Wizarding World for the Order to use as a new headquarters … We can talk to Giles in the morning … 'Bye, oh wait one other thing … It will only take a second. 'Here's the story of lovely lady, who was bringing up three…"

Dawn had to pull the phone away from her ear as Willow screeched in response. She smiled as she heard the line go dead. "That's what you get for trying to play me," Dawn said.

She opened her laptop and made a few notes as she finished her milk. When she was done she left the glass in the sink and went back to bed. If she was lucky she might get another hour or two in before she had to head to the office.


	50. Chapter Forty Nine – Long Overdue Explan

Chapter Forty Nine – Long Overdue Explanations

"The Aberdeen estate would probably fit their needs quite well," Giles said.

Eric's head shot up at the comment. "I thought we agreed to sell that property off."

Giles sighed. "We sold the bulk of the surrounding land off four years ago. Most of the proceeds were used to purchase the Cleveland campus. But we retained ownership of the main house and roughly two acres around it. The vampire that controlled the property had already had it extensively warded and the old council reinforced that warding."

"You never told me you were keeping the house," Eric said.

"You were on assignment at the time the sale went through," Giles said. "I felt the property might still be useful as a retreat or safe house."

"What kind of condition is it in?" Willow asked.

"We have a contract with a local company to go over the property once every three months and handle general upkeep." Giles answered looking at his notes. "The last time was in October. We'll need to have the utilities turned back on. That shouldn't take more than day or so. The house is already furnished. As I said, there are already established wards around the estate."

"There isn't anyplace else that would work?" Eric asked.

Giles shook his head. "Everything else is either too small or already in use. Unless you want to put them up here or at the Pasau office the Aberdeen estate remains our best option. We don't have time to locate, purchase and set up warding on another piece of property. Not to mention the fact that we simply don't have the funds available. Not with the amount of money Xander says it will take to set up a facility in Taiwan."

"Fine," Eric said. "If it's the best option."

"I think Eric and I should head up there too," Faye said. "Along with most of my team. We need to start learning how work with these wizards."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Giles said. "Willow you will need to go to check on and reinforce the wards."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Willow said.

"Very well," Giles said. "Faye, Eric why don't you two start setting things up."

"We're on it," Faye said. She and Eric quickly left the office.

After the two left Dawn looked at Giles. "Ok, did I miss something? Why was Eric upset that we still owned property up in Aberdeen?"

"The last assignments Eric's father and his Slayer went on was to Aberdeen," Giles explained. "They killed a master vampire and his pack, but at a price. That was how the Council gained control over the property."

"I understand," Dawn said. "You think he'll be ok?"

"Eric will be all right," Giles said. "I understand you spoke to Gray the other day."

"Yes I did," Dawn said. "He's making arrangements for his friends to come down here around New Years. I think I need to pull back from handling the day to day stuff with the wizarding world. At least until I figure out what the hell I can supposedly do."

"I'll take point with Eric and Faye," Willow said. "I want to spend more time learning about the magic these wizards use."

-----

"The Ministry of Magic's complex has partially reopened as of this morning," Director Buford reported. "They allowed the morning staff entry and are restricting visitors to the main floor. My understanding is they are searching everyone leaving the building. They are still holding most of the night staff at the complex."

"What do we have on the Death Eaters that escaped?" Lady Aydin asked.

"They are all true believers," Agent Cromwell answered. "The ones that fought on after Riddle's disappearance and never once claimed to have been under an Imperious Curse. Have to at least acknowledge the loyalty to their convictions. But that also makes them a lot more dangerous than Riddle's other followers. The others have something to lose. These people don't. They owe everything to Riddle including now their freedom. Unless Riddle wins they know they are either going back to prison or worse."

"Riddle would have attempted to free them at some point," Buford said. "But the Council's attack almost certainly pushed up his timetable. This gives him access to a solid core of followers who, as Cromwell indicated, will do anything for him."

"How close are we to getting anything useful out of the Death Eaters we have in custody?" Lady Aydin asked.

"The locations of Riddle's bases are all protected by fidelius charms," Cromwell answered. "It would seem that Riddle doesn't confide any long term tactical or strategic plans to any low level followers. Makes sense. Organizationally the Death Eaters are set up in a cell structure. Each one of Riddle's primary lieutenants has their own core of people they work with. Those people have only minimal contact with Riddle and only know what's happening in their own cell. My guess is we've rounded up most of Malfoy's cell."

"And Malfoy?"

"Another couple of weeks to completely break the fidelius," Cromwell answered. "At the very least we should get the locations of several Death Eater safe houses. My guess is, since Malfoy was one of the senior Death Eaters prior to the Azkaban escape he'll probably be able to give us more."

"Very well," Lady Aydin acknowledged. "Sir Ian, inform Ms Sinclair that I want her to accompany the Council's group up to Aberdeen. I'm certain Ms Rosenberg will make the necessary arrangements to shield their magic but Ms Sinclair should be able to assist her."

Director Buford nodded. "I will speak with her this morning."

----

"NO!" Sirius shouted. "This house is safe and I'm not letting them be responsible for Harry's safety."

"The house is not safe," Dumbledore replied in a calming voice. "Many of the protective charms are still not up to their full potency. More importantly your dear cousin knows this house exists. Voldemort will search for it at some point. And with the protections weakened he will find it. We need a new headquarters."

"Not with them," Sirius said. "You promised you would keep Harry away from those muggles. They killed Remus. I don't care what you or Sinclair say. I don't trust them."

Dumbledore sighed. He had already spoken to most of the other members of the Order. Convincing them had been relatively easy. But Sirius was going to be a problem.

"Sirius," he said. "Harry's safety very important to me. You know that. You know I would never do anything to risk him. Staying here is too great a risk."

"Then find somewhere else," Sirius replied through clenched teeth. "There are hundreds of places in the Wizarding world to hide."

"And Voldemort has contacts and spies near most of them," Dumbledore countered. "We need someplace he will not look. Voldemort will never believe that we would choose to hide among muggles. He will not even think to look for us outside the Wizarding world."

Sirius pulled back. Damn Dumbledore's logic. But he was not going to give up. "We don't need them."

"They are our allies," Dumbledore said. "And very skilled allies, with resources we need. This is not just about hiding. Harry needs to begin learning things that we cannot teach him at Hogwarts. Not with the Ministry watching so closely."

"What can muggles teach him?" Sirius demanded.

Things you can not possibly image, Dumbledore thought to himself. "Skills he will need if we are to defeat Voldemort."

Sirius fumed. He had trusted the Headmaster his entire life. But this was too much. He expected him to entrust his Godson's safety to muggles. Worse, muggles who had been involved in the death of one his last remaining friends. But Dumbledore's logic, as always, was impeccable. The other members of the Order were going along, however reluctantly, because Dumbledore had said so and they trusted Dumbledore to always know what was best.

Dumbledore studied Sirius carefully. "The decision has been made Sirius," he said. "I must speak to Harry now. There is only so long Professor MacGonagall can keep Umbridge distracted."

-----

"What's going on Harry?" Ron asked. "Death Eaters escaping prison I get. But something else seems to have the Headmaster and everyone else one edge."

Harry just remained silent. The strange words he and Voldemort had heard the night before still echoed in through his mind. 'The one with the power to vanquish…'

"Harry?" Ron said. "Earth to Harry."

"Huh?" Harry was startled out of his thoughts. "I don't know. Dumbledore probably thinks we're safer here than at Hogwarts."

"But Hogwarts is the safest place in the Wizarding world," Hermonie countered.

"Which is why we keep getting attacked there," Ron pointed out.

"Only because you two keep insisting on going out on your little adventures," Hermonie noted.

"We weren't on one of our bloody adventures when that bloody Basilisk got you," Ron shot back.

"Language," Hermonie said.

"Excuse me," the three turned and were startled to see Dumbledore standing calmly in the door. "Ms Grainger, Mr. Weasley, why don't you two head down to the kitchen and help Molly start preparing lunch. I need to speak privately with Harry for a few minutes."

"Yes Headmaster," the two said.

After they left Dumbledore turned his attention to the door. He cast a quick spell to seal it and then a couple of more to block eavesdropping. He smiled when he finished. "That will keep even twins and their extendable ears from listening in."

"You know about those," Harry was surprised.

Dumbledore merely shrugged. "That is not important now Harry. Last night you heard a prophecy."

"It's about me isn't it?" Harry said. "I'm the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord."

"I should have told you these things many years ago Harry," Dumbledore said in a said voice. "But I always told myself you were too young. I cared too much for your happiness than I did my plan."

"What plan?" Harry asked. "How do you know the prophecy? I saw Voldemort destroy it."

"You saw a record destroyed," Dumbledore said. "The prophecy was made to me those many years ago."

"You knew!" Harry stood up in anger. "You knew all along and never told me! Is that why Voldemort killed my parents?"

"Harry please," Dumbledore said in calming voice. "As I said, I thought you too young. Even after the challenges you've faced I still could not bring myself to tell you. But there is still time to correct my mistake. Sit and let me explain."

Reluctantly Harry sat down and Dumbledore began to explain. He told him about meeting Sibyll Trelawney at the Hog's Head Inn. About hearing the prophecy for the first time. How Voldemort learned but a portion of the prophecy and set about preventing it. He learned that Voldemort chose him to be his equal. How Neville Longbottom only narrowly avoided the fate that had befallen him.

After Dumbledore completed his tale Harry just sat frozen in place. Something gnawed at the back of his mind. "The end of the prophecy … it was about 'neither can live…"

"… while the other survives," Dumbledore finished.

"So," Harry said, finally putting all the pieces together. "So does that mean that … that one of us has got to kill the other one … in the end?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered.

Harry felt his stomach drop. In a way he supposed he always knew it would come down to him and Voldemort. Voldemort was the shadow overhanging every part of Harry's life.

"There is something else I must now tell you Harry," Dumbledore said. "Things few others in the Wizarding world know. Tomorrow will be our last day in this house. We will be moving to a new headquarters."

"Why?" Harry asked in barely a whisper. He didn't really care about the answer at this point.

"The protections around this house have been badly damaged and there is very real chance Voldemort will discover it soon," Dumbledore explained. "But the important thing is where we are going and who will be sheltering us."

"What?"

"We are moving our headquarters into the Muggle World," Dumbledore said. "The Order of the Phoenix is allying itself with a Muggle group called the Council of Slayers and Watchers."

"Muggles?" Harry's eyes went wide. "How can muggles protect us from Voldemort?"

"Because they are as skilled in magic as any wizard or witch you will ever meet," Dumbledore said. "The muggle world has its own magic. As well hidden and as powerful as our own."

"Muggles have magic?"

"Yes Harry," Dumbledore said. "The world is far more complex than most of the people in our world know. These muggles are aware of the Wizarding world and the threat posed by Voldemort and have already joined the battle against him. Several weeks ago they captured Lucius Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew and three other Death Eaters."

"They have Wormtail?" Harry stood up again. "They have that bastard?"

"I can ensure you Harry, he is quite secure," Dumbledore said. "When the time comes he will answer for his crimes. But there is more that I must tell you. It is important you understand. And it is important that if you hold anyone to blame for what has happened it is me. The people you will be meeting and the things they can teach you will be essential if you are to survive."

Reluctantly Harry sat down. He wondered at the small tear he saw working its way down the Headmaster's cheek.

-----

"You told him about the prophecy and his place in it," Sinclair said the Dumbledore.

"I did," Dumbledore said. "I should have told him sooner."

"Your reasons were noble enough," Sinclair acknowledged. "And you told him of our new allies."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "He is angry. Much as Sirius is angry. But given time he will see past his anger. I think I have succeeded in directing most of it towards me where it properly belongs."

"Did you tell him the rest?"

"Learning that he must confront Voldemort in the end and truth of Remus' death are enough of a burden for now," Dumbledore said. "Too tell him everything. Too tell him that danger we face is far greater than Voldemort," Dumbledore shook his head. "The Fates are cruel to place so much on one so young."

Sinclair nodded. "One confrontation at a time then. First we deal with young Tom. Then Harry must learn of his true heritage and place in the world."

---

A/N – Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Way too long between updates.

I have this crazy thing called a job which is eating up a lot of my time. And since I've grown use to things like eating and having a roof over my head that has to come first.

Problem number two is "The Half-Blood Prince." After reading that, a couple of the concepts struck me as fitting better than what I had originally planned (darn Rowling and her good ideas). So I've been debating whether or not to re-jigger the story a bit to include some of the ideas from "The Half-Blood Prince" or to stick with what I originally had planned.

Too be honest, I'm still not certain what I'm going to about "The Half-Blood Prince." But since the next couple of chapters don't depend on that stuff I'm going to plow on and deal with that problem later.

Not sure when the next update is going to be coming. Things are a little crazy at the office. The home office is leaning on us real hard to improve our numbers so everybody is having to put in long hours including the accounting staff. Hopefully things will calm down before the holidays but I doubt it.


	51. Chapter Fifty Masters and Minions

Chapter Fifty – Master and Minions

They were free.

After years of confinement.

Years of constant torment by the Dementors.

Years of pain.

Years of waiting for their fallen Master's return.

They were free.

And the world would pay.

The journey back from Azkaban took hours. Their exertions, after long years of isolation, weakened them greatly.

But at long last they again entered the presence of their Master.

As always darkness pervaded the chamber. Voldemort sat comfortably in a simple chair. He found stark simplicity conveyed his power quite effectively.

He watched as his returning followers slowly and with great reverence entered the chamber.

He observed them closely. The pain of their imprisonment was apparent. The slow, almost aching way they walked. Their faces etched with lines, drained of color, of life. Permanently scarred by Azkaban.

But as they grew closer to their Master they grew a little taller. Their steps more certain. Voldemort saw strength in their eyes. The devotion, the loyalty so lacking in his other followers.

The Death Eaters formed a semi circle in front of Voldemort's chair and dropped to their knees.

Voldemort rose from his chair and slowly made his way around the semi circle. Touching each bowed head in turn. No words were spoken. None were needed. As he touched them he allowed a bit of power to flow out of himself through the Dark Mark and into these most loyal of his Death Eaters.

Such a thing would never be done, or even considered, for any of his other followers. They were weak, cowardly, they denied him. But these few had proven their loyalty. They earned the reward he gave them.

And they knew it. They knew the Dark Lord possessed power immeasurable. Power beyond their comprehension. They'd seen it. After all, death itself clearly held no sway over him.

And now a small portion of that power flowed through them.

An honor.

Voldemort completed his rounds and returned to his chair.

He spoke, "Arissse my Knights, my Death Eaters."

They rose. Their faces still bore the mark of Azkaban but their eyes radiated power.

"Welcome," Voldemort said. "You have ssufferred much in my service. And I have given you the first of your rewards. Rest assssured, when we take back our world from the weak and tainted you will be raisssed above all others."

Bellatrix spoke first. "Master, we are eager to resume the battle. What service do you require of us?"

Voldemort smiled. "For now, patience. Soon enough you will unleasssh your fury. But first ressst."

He motioned with his hand and the assemble group turned and began to depart. Their steps now much more certain, their heads high. The weariness banished from their bodies by the gift from their Master.

"Bellatrix," Voldemort said. "Remain for a moment."

Bellatrix Lastrange turned and calmly walked back to her Master's chair.

Voldemort waited until the others left before he spoke.

"There are traitors among my Death Eaters," he said. "Those who feel they can challenge my power."

"Malfoy," she spat.

"Yesss," Voldemort hissed.

"What do you desire Master?"

"You will find them for me," Voldemort said. "Use whatever tools or methods you deem appropriate."

"He brought many into our ranks," Bellatrix noted.

"And they are now sussspect," Voldemort said. "Question them; question any who were loyal to Malfoy. He and his followers musst be found."

"And when I find him and his traitorous lackeys?" she asked a touch of malice entering her voice.

"First you musst retrieve what they ssstole from me," Voldemort said handing her a picture of the scepter he sent Mafloy to get for him.

"And then?"

"Kill them. Ssslowly."

He watched as Bellatrix nodded and turned to follow her fellow Death Eaters. Another small smile touched Voldemort's lips. Truly loyal Death Eaters now stood by his side. Ones who understood the stakes involved. The slow death that lay before the Wizarding world unless something was done.

Dumbledore refused to see it. Refused to bow before the inevitable. The old fool dared to oppose him. But now Voldemort knew his weakness.

The boy.

Yes the boy. He miscalculated in his previous encounters. A rare mistake. But one easily corrected. He now fully understood his connection to the boy.

And that fool Dumbledore. His weak sentiment kept him from taking the expedient action. With but one stroke he could end this battle. But he refused. He held back his hand.

And now Voldemort knew why.

Voldemort's smile grew a touch wider. Dumbledore's defeat and his own victory, was now assured.

----

"Well over two thousand prophecies were destroyed," Amelia Bones reported.

"Was anything else lost?" Fudge asked.

"According to the Unspeakables, no," Bones replied. "But they are still going through the rooms and, honestly Minister, depending out what was stolen or destroyed they might not tell me."

"And Arthur Weasley was found in the corridor leaving the Department of Mysteries," Fudge noted.

"We have no direct proof he was actually inside," Bones said. "He claimed he was out stretching his legs since he was working late. We confirmed with Perkins Weasley's plans to work late last night. The Unspeakables either don't know or won't tell me how anyone got into the Department of Mysteries," she frowned. The Unspeakables were annoyingly tight lipped.

"This isn't the first time we've caught one of Dumbledore's people trying to get into the Department of Mysteries," Fudge said. "Don't forget about Podmore."

"Assuming he was working for Dumbledore at the time. Besides you said that was just a ploy to get him into Azkaban to free the prisoners," Bones said. "We've determined that his wand in the holding area was a fake. We still have Aurors searching the island. They can find no trace of the escapees and Auror Galiwag is still missing as well."

"Probably a traitor. Dumbledore is a sneaky one," Fudge said. "Have Weasley held for interrogation."

"Minister we don't have enough to hold him," Bones said.

"We are at a moment of crisis," Fudge retorted. "Malfoy's disappearance, Pritchard's murder, the obviously arranged breakout from Azkaban and now an attack on the Ministry itself. Dumbledore is clearly trying to take over. Every measure must be taken to safeguard the Ministry. Have Weasley held for interrogation."

Bones held her tongue for a moment debating how far she could argue this point with Fudge. She sighed. "Very well Minister. I will question him myself."

"Very good," Fudge replied. "This may very well give us the opportunity to move against Dumbledore and all of his followers."

Standing dutifully to the side Percy's face remained a mask. Inwardly his intestines started tying themselves up in knots. Fudge was arresting his father. He might call it 'questioning' but it was an arrest. And he was discussing going after the rest of Dumbledore's followers. How long would it be before Fudge went after his entire family?

He had to find some way to warn them.

-----

Lunch had been a quiet, grim affair at #12 Grimmauld Place.

The escape of the Death Eaters, an apparent attack on the Ministry (although only Dumbledore and Harry knew what really happened) and learning that they were going to have to entrust their safety to Muggles had all combined to sour everyone's mood.

Even the twins, normally up for a bit of jovial fun, were unnaturally subdued.

As lunch finished Albus rose from his chair. "As you know tomorrow will be our last day here. I want everyone to go through the house and make certain that all of your belongings have been accounted for and that nothing is left behind. Voldemort," a shudder went around the room, affecting everyone but Harry, "may find this house soon. We must leave no clues about where the Order has gone or our plans. We will take a portkey to our new Headquarters the following morning. Understood?"

The people gathered around the table nodded. Molly Weasley spoke. "Professor, is there any word about what is happening at the Ministry? I can't get a hold of Arthur."

"None yet," Dumbledore answered. "Edgar should be contacting me soon. I'm certain Arthur is safe."

She nodded and then promptly began assigning everyone present a room to check. Making sure everyone had something to do and that the entire house would be cleaned out before they left.

After everyone else had left Hermione approached Dumbledore who was sitting quietly at the end of the table.

"Professor?"

"Yes Ms Granger," Dumbledore replied with a smile.

"What about Kreacher?" she asked. "I know he is a wretched little thing. But we can't just leave him here to be berated by that awful portrait."

Dumbledore sighed. "I am not certain. However much he may wish too, he can't betray Sirius so it would difficult for even Voldemort to gain any information from him."

"But there is still a chance," Hermione said.

"Yes, I'm afraid there is," Dumbledore replied.

"Could you take him to Hogwarts?"

"Not with Umbridge there," Dumbledore said.

"Could we take him with us?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for a moment. The first sign of humor Hermione had seen from the Headmaster all day. "It would be interesting to see how our new hosts react to a house elf. An excellent suggestion Ms Granger. I will speak to Sirius about it at once."

---

Elder Sinclair entered his office at the Ministry of Magic. The situation was … chaotic at best. No one was entirely certain what happened. They all knew about the escape from Azkaban of course. But nobody knew why the Ministry had been locked down (Thus far only the Minister, the Unspeakables, select members of the Wizengamot and the Aurors knew the Department of Mysteries had been penetrated).

In such an environment rumors ran rampant. People said Minister Fudge had been attacked, that some dangerous creature must have gotten loose in the Ministry building, Dumbledore was being held prisoner in the Department of Mysteries and all other sorts of rumors. Although surprisingly only a couple of people dared breath the idea that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was behind the current troubles and never within earshot of one of Minister Fudge's known cronies.

The Aurors had allowed most of the night staff to go. Visitors were going through a much tighter screening process before being allowed to pass beyond the first floor atrium.

Chaotic was indeed the polite way to describe the situation.

Fortunately such an environment meant Sinclair's late arrival went unnoticed. He had several spells set up in his office to automatically send out memos and other correspondence and to make noise so it seemed he was working even if he wasn't. He and Albus developed the spells at Hogwarts, they'd come in quite handy when they wanted to be somewhere other than studying (The Marauders were hardly the first (or even the best) pranksters to prowl the halls of Hogwarts).

Sinclair knew he would need to make the rounds soon and check in with his various contacts around the Ministry.

As he was settling in and beginning to make plans a knock came to his door. Sinclair looked up to see Percy Weasley standing there.

"Elder," Percy said. "If I may have a moment of your time, the Minister wanted me to check in with the members of the Wizengamot."

Sinclair nodded noting the subtle movement of Weasley's left hand. A signal that he needed to speak privately.

"Of course young Mr. Weasley," Sinclair said. "There are some confidential messages I need you to pass on to Minister Fudge. Please come in."

As Percy entered the office, Sinclair made a subtle motion with his wand. The door closed silently.

"We may speak freely now Percy," Sinclair said. "What is so urgent that you would risk direct contact?"

"Fudge arrested my father," Percy replied. "It's only a matter of time before he goes after the rest of my family. He getting more and more obsessed with proving Dumbledore wants to take over. Even Bones is starting to see it but she can't do anything to stop it."

Sinclair nodded as he contemplated the situation. "Why is your father being questioned?"

"Because the Department of Mysteries was broken into last night," answered Percy. "Thousands of prophecies were destroyed and my father was found by some Aurors in the hallway just outside the entrance on level nine. He also thinks Podmore tricked us to sending him to Azkaban to help Dumbledore break out the Death Eaters."

Again Sinclair nodded. Young Tom's strategy began to present itself. As always a near masterstroke in its execution. He successfully diverted attention away from himself and squarely on to one of the few people truly capable of apposing him. Forcing Albus to fight a two front battle against both Tom and Fudge. And while Fudge might be an idiot his harassment kept Albus from putting his full attention and resources to the task of dealing with Tom.

And as always Tom's endgame remained well hidden behind feints and counterstrokes.

But as brilliant a strategist as he may be, Tom still suffered from the tunnel vision that afflicted him during his first campaign. He viewed Albus as the primary threat to his plans. He discounted the other Initiates, properly assuming the majority would prefer to stay in the shadows rather than confront him directly. He clearly had no knowledge that the Muggle world was already acting against him.

Yes, Tom's blind spots might be the key to his defeat.

"Elder?" Percy queried.

Sinclair broke from his musings. "This is troublesome. I will see what I can do. Do not worry. Amelia will not step too far out of bounds no matter how hard Fudge pushes her. She is far too much the professional. But it may take some time."

"But my father …"

"I am sorry Percy," Sinclair said. "Countering Voldemort's moves will require a subtle touch. But rest assured the remainder of your family is quite safe. Not even young Tom will be able to find them."

Percy nodded. "Can you at least tell me what is happening? Did you have something to do with Malfoy's disappearance?"

Sinclair sighed. "You know the dangers Percy. You are in a perilous position if Fudge were to learn of your duplicity …"

"Then the less I know, the less I can reveal," Percy acknowledged. "It's just …"

"Frustrating to not know if what you are doing accomplishes anything," Sinclair finished. Rising from his chair Sinclair rounded his desk and put his hand on Percy's shoulder. Sinclair studied the younger man for a few seconds. "Believe me lad. The information you have provided has proven quite valuable even if I can not tell you how."

"Thank you Elder," Percy nodded.

"You have difficult work ahead of you," Sinclair said. "Fudge's paranoia is making him jump at shadows and creating conspiracies out of thin air. You need to continue playing the dutiful and loyal follower."

"It's getting harder," Percy said. "I use to be able to take comfort in the fact that he at least administered the Departments well. But now even that's starting to slip. Everything is about getting Dumbledore. "

"Yes," Sinclair nodded. "Which makes your work even more vital. Now, I have kept you too long."

"You're right Elder," Percy said. "I'll keep you informed."

With another pat on the shoulder Sinclair sent Percy on his way and returned to sitting at his desk.

Blind spots or not Tom's strategy was proving too successful. It was one thing to give your opponent a little room to make him feel confident and in control. But give him too much and you limit your own ability to counter him. Perhaps the time had come for his own flanking maneuver against Tom.

Nothing too direct. He did not wish to tip his own hand to Tom. But any move directly against Tom or his Death Eaters risked drawing attention. No not Tom.

Fudge.

Yes. Give Albus more breathing room. That would focus Tom's attention even more against his old mentor. Give him what he expects to see.

A small smile twitched at the corner of Sinclair's lip.


End file.
